27
by TLM
Summary: WE ALL JUST WANT SOME ANSWERS. 'I run. You chase. What if... we didn't'
1. Day 1 : Day 28

**We start halfway into the story and flashback a day at a time, to see the events leading up to Jarod's current predicament. Each chapter will continue chronologically from where the last two segments left off.**

**Day 1**

Her voice was softer than warm butter. It didn't match the intensity of the words she used. That's what he would always remember about that night.

"What?"

Jarod grinned, nuzzling the phone tighter between his shoulder and ear. "Happy birthday."

Parker sunk deeper into the pillow between her and the headboard, "Midnight on the dot. You must have been sitting by your phone just waiting to call. Seriously, Jarod, you might as well make some friends while you're busy do-gooding. I'm sure there are some Helen Kellers out there who nobody else will take the time to bond with."

"Tempting," Jarod played along. "But I enjoy my conversations with you far too much to ever spare a free moment for any woman named Helen."

"I'll bet you do," she groaned, raking her fingers through her dark hair. "So what is it this year, Jarod? Another dug up clue to my past, perhaps a sentimental piece of jewelry my mother might have worn one day in her life, or some other three ring circus you've concocted for the big hurrah?"

"Well, I did consider all of the above, but after thinking about it for a long time, I came to the conclusion that for your birthday I should give you the one thing you want more than anything else."

She feigned a high pitched voice of gratitude, "That's so sweet, Jarod. I guess you really are a genius after all if you've figured out how to hold a phone conversation whilst lying tied up and gagged at my doorstep."

It wasn't funny, but he couldn't help but smile slightly, "Better than that."

"There's nothing better than that." It was simple. It was a fact.

"Not even your freedom?" Jarod let the last word sink in, a thousand thoughts flying through his mind as he waited for her voice. The hesitancy to her response didn't go unnoticed.

Alone in her room she shook her head, "You know the deal, Jarod. _You _are my golden ticket out of this rat maze."

"That's what I'm hoping," he answered. "Don't shoot."

"What?" But he had hung up. "Damn it, Jarod."

Parker allowed her head to lean back against the wood of her headboard and she closed her eyes. She could feel her muscles unclench as she tried to wipe the conversation from her mind. He was cryptic as always, but it was midnight and, as he'd pointed out, her birthday, so she wasn't about to deal with this right now.

The deep voice at her half-closed bedroom door caused her to bolt upright in her bed and clutch the sheets around her.

"I hope you're decent," Jarod donned a crooked grin that infuriated her to no end.

"You've got some nerve." Her posture grew more rigid as she tucked her legs under her, sitting up on her knees with the sheet pulled in front of her.

Jarod's lips parted, "I- I didn't really think you weren't wearing clothes I can just-"

"Ugh," she groaned and let the sheet drop. "I'm wearing clothes. I just wasn't prepared to kill a labrat in my night gown."

"Oh," Jarod nodded as though this was completely reasonable, closing the door behind him and blessing the silky black chemise she was wearing simply for its existence.

"What the hell are you doing here, Jarod?"

He hesitated. It wasn't fear in her eyes, but a sort of strange anxiousness that made no sense to him.

Jarod took a deep breath, "Parker." The word was so purely stated. "Let me help you."

"Excuse me?"

Exhaling, he cautiously moved closer toward her, "I run. You chase. What if... we didn't?"

Miss Parker rolled her eyes, "If this is another pathetic plea to get me off your ass, it's not going to work-"

"This isn't about me, Miss Parker." His words were stern and authoritative. "I'm here with a proposition. The only reason you're playing the game is to get out of the Centre's clutches. Bringing me in is the job. It's what will please your father. Business."

"I'm glad you understand. What's your point?" she answered.

"What if you could get what you wanted," he paused, mulling the words over in his head. "Without turning me in."

"That's impossible. There's no-"

Jarod held up a hand to silence her and surprisingly she conceded, "_But what if you could_?"

The pining in her haunted blue eyes wasn't lost upon him as she slumped backward with her legs tucked underneath her, sitting on her ankles, "I try not to live in fantasy worlds, Jarod."

"I can do this for you, Miss Parker." He sat on the bottom corner of her bed almost as if he'd forgotten the proximity rules, speaking quickly in excited tones. "I can create a whole new life for you, wherever you want to live as whoever you want to be. They'll never find you and you can live the life you've dreamed about since you were a little girl."

"Right, because you've been doing a great job of hiding from me these past years."

"Not to lower your self-esteem, but I'm fairly certain I leaked a few important clues as to my whereabouts."

Miss Parker tilted her head, "And why _did _you do that?"

Shaking his head, the pretender broke the thick eye contact they'd been forming, "Doesn't matter. What does matter is that I could disappear if I wanted and you could, too. So why don't you?"

"Why don't you?" she responded immediately.

Jarod lowered his voice, "I told you this wasn't about me."

"Seems to be," she went on. "It seems to me that if something is ever about me, then it automatically leaps right back to you."

He was nodding, "Always connected. I know."

They were silent, letting the implications waft through the air awkwardly.

Finally Jarod spoke, "Please, Miss Parker."

"This is just ridiculous. You can't do this and I couldn't let you even if you could. Wha- _Why _are you even doing this?"

The answer to that was difficult. "Do I really need to explain that?"

"Oh not at all. I understand completely," Miss Parker folded her arms defensively. "This would be your greatest triumph. Doing the ultimate favor for poor defenseless Miss Parker who gets tossed around by the Centre and her family. Kind of automatically knights you into the noble deeds hall of fame while at the same time getting your most worthy opponent off your ass."

"That's not it at all."

"Yes it-"

"No! I just," Jarod was completely flustered as she always seemed raise him to emotional peaks. "I just want to help you. You've suffered as long as I have by their hands and if anyone could ever know how," He paused. "Lonely you feel, I think I do."

It wasn't the response she had expected.

He continued, "You are the most likely to bring me back. I'm not denying that. It simply isn't relevant." Still, she said nothing. "If you want me to leave, I will. We can pretend I never came here."

Jarod's last words came out in a defeated tone that signaled his surrender to her will. Her throat closed slightly as she realized the decision he'd left in her hands.

"I can't leave, Jarod, for the very same reason you can't. We still have unfinished business, our ball and chain. If you were to give up for good, your answers about your family would die. Well so would mine. Haven't you even considered that?"

"Of course I have," he picked at the bed comforter by his knee. "Which is why I'm going to help you to answer those questions. If you think that your happiness isn't reason enough, then remember how obviously connected our lives have always been. Digging up your family skeletons will probably lead to a few of my own."

Miss Parker sighed and pressed her hands into a prayer lock at her lips, "Doesn't seem worth your time. Why not just find what you need and get out? Why haven't you done that all along?"

Her last frustrated sentence came out in an almost inaudible mumble.

"Parker, please stop trying to find a selfish motive in this. Can't my affection for the only two-sided relationship I've ever had be enough?"

There was hesitancy. "I just know that your faith in me will end unfortunately."

"It's not my faith in you," he said confidently. "It's my faith in us."

* * *

**Day 28**

"Sydney!"

Jarod leapt up from the ground and clung to the bars that separated him from his mentor. His mouth was barely opened as he looked at the older man with expectant eyes.

"Jarod, thank God you're all right," he whispered in response. The instant the words slipped out of his mouth, Jarod felt the relief that only Sydney's accented voice could provide.

A grimace bent Jarod's face and he arched one brow, resting his forehead against the bars, "You call this all right?"

It was true. The pretender looked nothing close to all right in the dimly lit room. Room was an exaggeration as this was clearly a cell intended for prisoners, one specifically. The Centre had taken no chances this time. There was no air vent within the caged area, no sewer hole, no drainage grate. Just concrete and metal everywhere. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, concrete. The door and the one barred wall currently separating Jarod from Sydney, metal. Even his clothes were minimal; Jarod donned the same baggy pants he'd been forced to wear during his last stay in Lyle's funhouse. There were similar bruises dispersed about his skin as well. A particularly vivid purple and green mark under his jaw caught Sydney's attention and he had to avert his eyes to the floor to hide the guilt. The sight of his shoeless pretender provided him with less solace than he'd anticipated.

Jarod sighed, glancing at the camera across from him, noticing how it had shifted as he'd stood. "What did they do to her?"

"To who?" Sydney cocked his head curiously.

The expression on Jarod's face seemed to scream 'what kind of question is that?' but he answered shortly, "Miss Parker."

"Miss Parker?" he drew the words out like a haunted melody. "I was told by her father himself that she's vacationing in Europe now that you're..."

He drifted off and fierce lines darted across Jarod's face in sharp angles. "Sydney, you don't honestly believe she would ever take a vacation do you?"

Sydney shook his head, "She's wanted to get away from The Centre as soon as she returned you for years now, Jarod."

The metal door Sydney had entered the room through opened then and in strode Mr Lyle.

Jarod knew his time was precious and that Sydney was his only hope now. He glanced at Lyle and then quickly back to Sydney, "But she isn't the one who did this to me."

Sydney took a step backward, his face in deep concentration.

"I think you've had plenty of time to reassess his cognitional abilities, doctor," Lyle said in a low voice.

"Not at all actually," Sydney folded his arms, turning away from Jarod. "I'll have to run through some procedural questions and issue some mental examinations."

"You mean you weren't just doing that?" Lyle waved his finger between the two men innocently. Jarod didn't even bother to hide his contempt.

Clearing his throat, Sydney spoke louder as if indicating the questions were unnecessary, "I might have been able to begin except I was distracted by the obvious physical abuse Jarod's been suffering at someone else's hand. I'm sure you have no idea who authorized that though."

Lyle's shoulders jutted up and he answered with an air of faux casualness, "Not a clue." His hand suddenly whipped forcefully toward the bars where Jarod's fingers were curled around the cold steel. Crushing the fingers beneath his knuckles he muttered under his breath as if it were the fiftieth time he'd told him. "Get back."

Jarod pulled his throbbing hand back with a soft groan. This was child's play compared to a few hours ago.

"Lyle! That is not necessary."

"Listen, Sydney. I'm going to level with you," Lyle began.

"This should be good," Jarod muttered.

"That's enough from you," Lyle hissed back before returning his attention to the psychiatrist. "We don't need you. We have Jarod and he's never going to leave The Centre again. Your usefulness, well, it's just incredibly slim. It makes you..."

"Expendable?" Sydney offered boldly.

Lyle recontorted his face, "Now that you say it, yes, exactly."

"You obviously don't know Jarod or myself as well as you think you do, Lyle."

Not a dash of worry entered Lyle's face, "I'll keep that in mind. Now you go play Dominos with some twin dwarfs or whatever it is you do around here. Jarod and I have our own games to attend to."

Fighting would be useless, but Sydney shot one last glance back to Jarod, before stepping toward the door.

"Just consider your source, Sydney," Jarod hollered before he didn't have the chance anymore.

Sydney hesitated and then left.

Lyle folded his arms and Jarod could see the predatory sheen to his blue eyes. Jarod took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to the wall, refusing to make eye contact with the man who killed his brother.

"Aw come on, Jarod. Don't you want to play with me? I can hook the hose up in no time, fire up the old cables, give you a nice jump back into Centre life"

"What have you done with her?" Jarod asked softly, his eyes never shifting.

With an exaggerated pause Lyle replied, "Just why doesn't it surprise me that you care so much?"

"And why won't you answer me?" Jarod fixed his attention on Lyle, "Or tell anyone else the truth."

He shrugged, "The truth is so overrated, don't you think?"

Jarod could only shake his head, "You're making a huge mistake, Lyle."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"You shouldn't doubt her. That's exactly where you're going wrong."

"Right." Lyle laughed and left the room with a continued chuckle.

And that was that. Lyle wasn't going to tell him where she was and Sydney had no idea. The only thing Jarod could do now was wait and hope. Hope that Sydney and Broots would figure something out. Hope for a miracle.


	2. Day 2 : Day 29

**Day 2**

"Morning, Miss Parker. You look tired, but I have some great news."

Miss Parker clutched her forehead. Opening her office door to Broots' happy expression was actually not what she liked to call a good morning.

"What is it?"

He didn't seem to notice her lack of excitement or perhaps he was just used to the nonchalance, "I have a very tangible hit on Jarod in Denver. Seems a Jarod Boykins was working at a music shop and exposed this guy for embezzling from the public school system's music department."

"Cry me a river," Miss Parker muttered.

"Anyway. The local newspapers printed this picture of him conducting at a middle school band concert only two days ago," Broots held up the scanned article. A picture of Jarod gleefully swiping a baton across the air for a group of mid-pubescent kids showed a clear profile view of the pretender.

"That's definitely our Mozart."

"Want me to call for the jet?" Broots asked eagerly, clearly pleased with his success.

"No. Send Lyle," she sat down at her desk, flipping through her mail.

Broots seemed slightly taken aback, "B-but this is a great lead, Miss Parker. I'm sure we could find something. A clue to his next-"

"Yes, a clue to his next clue I'm sure. He's obviously gone already, so why bother? _Send Lyle_."

"You don't know he hasn't left yet. There is a possibility he's still there. The Jefferson high school concert is in two days. Maybe he's waiting for that and-"

"Broots, what did I say?" she snapped her fingers, silencing him. He nodded and walked away, clearly disappointed.

Unfortunately, she did know he'd left already. The arrogant son of a bitch had been in her house just last night. Not that she could say that out loud of course. Let her idiot twin prod around Jarod's last lair for a red notebook with the same article taped inside it that Broots had already found.

Jarod had finally left her to sleep at 2am last night. She'd given in to him like she always did in the end. Now she didn't know what the hell she was doing, following his little plan so accordingly. Go to work, keep up appearances, and leave early for "personal reasons" because he had something important to show her.

As usual, the phone rang.

"What?"

"Beautiful day isn't it?"

Parker pinched the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, I thought our conversation five hours ago was good enough, Jarod. What do you want now?"

"I just figured a day at the office wasn't really a day at the office untiI I called with something cryptic and tantalizing," he replied, the grin so ridiculously evident in his voice. She could hear the wind rushing in the background and could only imagine the little boy in the man's body and leather jacket as he cruised down the highway wearing sharp sunglasses.

"I heard a rumor you'll be crashing the Jefferson High band concert, in which case you better catch your flight to Denver a-sap. I wouldn't want you to miss it."

"You always have to make helping you so difficult don't you, Miss Parker?"

"I'd just hate for the kiddies to be disappointed," she clutched the phone tighter to her ear, her eyes constantly flickering to and from the door suspiciously.

"Yes, you and children do mix together quite well," Jarod laughed.

"Call me Mary Poppins."

"Who?"

"I was under the impression that this phone call had a purpose to it," she rolled her hand over in the air, coaxing the man who was God only knew how many miles away. As soon as she put her hand back into her lap, Sydney's head appeared in the doorway and she held up a silencing finger.

"Actually," Jarod paused, raising the pitch of his voice humorously. "It didn't."

And there was the click.

"Damn him," she whispered, flipping her phone shut. "What is it now Sydney?"

"Was that Jarod?" the older man asked.

"You know it sort of sickens me how you light up like a Christmas tree just at the mention of your lab rat," Miss Parker said, rising from her seat and crossing her arms as she stood closer to him.

"Well was it?" Sydney persisted, unfazed.

"No," she lied. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he turned around to study a picture on her wall as he continued. "I just found it odd that you turned down the chance to catch Jarod in Denver."

"And you assumed something was wrong with me because I decided _not _to jump through Jarod's hoops au fun today?"

Sydney faced her again with a slight smile, "Something like that, Miss Parker."

"I just don't see the point. I'm sure Jarod's long gone by now, so let Lyle go pick up the mess. My cleaning days ended a long time ago, remember."

She was the picture of strength and confidence in her tailored gray suit and high stilettos and one could never argue with her for long.

"I thought maybe there was something more urgent on your agenda. Something pertaining to your mother perhaps?" Sydney pressed.

"Why? Is there something about my mother you would like to tell me?" she snarled.

He raised his hands in surrender, "Not at all. Birthdays often instigate thoughts about one's mother, one's life. But I'm glad to see that you're fine."

"Peachy," she grumbled, scanning the memo on her desk about the Centre's new cafeteria options. The thought nearly made her vomit, but she didn't alter her gaze as Broots burst through the door panting. "Breathe, Broots."

"I- yeah," he did breathe. "Lyle's coming. He thinks there's something weird going on if you won't go to Denver."

"Broots, did you tell Lyle I didn't want to go and that he should instead?"

Broots looked from Miss Parker to Sydney desperately, "Well yeah."

"You moron. _Why _would he go if he knows I see no point in it?" she slapped the memo back onto the desk.

"You d-didn't say I shouldn't say, I mean, I didn't think-"

"You're right, you didn't think," Miss Parker growled off-handedly.

Sydney cut in, "Miss Parker, Broots didn't know."

"Would you two just get out? Honestly, I have a migraine the size of Texas and it's drilling me like an oil rig from the inside out. Neither of you are helping matters."

"Let us know if you need anything," Sydney murmured as he ushered Broots out of the room with him.

"I'm sorry," Broots said, jumping slightly at the sight of Lyle standing outside the door. "Oh, um hi."

Lyle ignored him, directing his attention to his sister. "What's the deal with Denver?"

Sydney and Broots stood hesitantly at the doorway, waiting for her explanation.

"I'm not going," her heels clicked against the floor sharply as she took slow steps toward her twin, speaking in a high pitch as if she were breaking it down for a child. "I feel like hell and the only thing that could make me feel any worse is picking apart our latest failure to capture Jarod. I'm taking the afternoon off. Have fun staking out your concert. I hear the piccolo player's a real riot."

There was hardly a chance to answer her as she physically removed the breathing bodies from her office with abrupt shoves. As soon as she closed the door, she took a deep breath and leant against it, relishing the calm.

-----

Six hours later Miss Parker was pushing the door to her own home open, thankful that Jarod wasn't there yet.

"You're home early." Jarod stepped around the corner in jeans and a black T-shirt.

She cringed, "I was sick of people."

"I see," Jarod said, clearly not seeing at all. "Well as I told you last night, I needed to pick up a few things. So I went to Dover to get some items concerning your mother from one of my safe deposit boxes."

"Let me guess, things you borrowed directly from her own safe deposit box," Miss Parker ventured, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," he answered a little timidly. "One of them. Anyway, these specifically."

He pulled a small and crumpled manila envelope out of his back pocket and placed in her hands. Miss Parker lifted the flap gently. Any possession of her mother's was subconsciously treated with the utmost of delicacy by the both of them. Carefully, she pulled out a faded photo with a crease down the center. In it stood a white house with green shutters. There was part of a great weeping willow visible on the right side of the front yard and just beyond that she could see the blue of water. It was clearly springtime in the photo as flowers were bursting with color throughout the property.

"What is this?" Miss Parker asked distantly.

"I'm not sure," Jarod answered in a soothing voice, reaching for the envelope in her other hand. "But this must be its key."

He held up a gold key and she cocked her head, studying it, "Sorry genius, but that's too small to be the key to a house, which is where by the way?"

"Um, I'm still working on that."

"So you don't really know anything."

"That is completely untrue, Miss Parker. I do know that this house is on the road White Pine because I enlarged the photo and was just barely able to enhance a street sign in the reflection of this window here." Jarod pointed to it, "Now see the problem is that when I search White Pine, I get about 265 streets in America, give or take a few."

Miss Parker rolled her eyes, seeing the beginnings of another dead end.

"_But_," he went on. "The majority of those hits were in the same state. Maine. Which makes sense of course seeing as the white pine is the state tree of Maine."

"Naturally," she returned sarcastically. "But if these were my mother's then Maine does make sense."

Jarod nodded, "Exactly. So I've isolated the possible locations to thirty eight."

"Thirty eight?!" Miss Parker repeated.

"It was the best I could do. There are a lot of waterfront properties in Maine and there wasn't much else to go on."

"No way, I refuse to patrol the suburbs of Maine for every white house on every White Pine road. What we need to do is find the one person who might actually know what the hell we're talking about and maybe even what this key unlocks."

Jarod squinted his eyes with a slight smile, "Ben."

* * *

**Day 29**

The tech room seemed much calmer than usual, probably because the prize had been reclaimed. Turning a corner, passing through computer techs as he did so, Sydney bumped into Broots.

"Oh hey Syd what's up?" Broots asked, crunching on a Funyun. Even he had a less panicked demeanor.

Sydney clutched his colleague by the elbow, "Not here. Walk with me."

"Oh God," Broots said, following. A 'walk with me' talk was never good news.

When they'd entered the white marble hallway, Sydney crossed his arms and spoke softly, "I spoke with Jarod yesterday and he believes that Mr Parker is lying about Miss Parker vacationing in Europe. Someone else captured him and it clearly has him distressed."

"But," Broots eyes chased each other and his voice grew higher and higher in pitch. "Why would he lie about something like that? His own daughter? Who did catch Jarod? And, and why cover it up?"

Sydney punctuated each of Broots' questions with a nod, "These are all the questions we need answered. There must be an important reason for whoever did succeed in catching Jarod to not take the credit for it. Normally I'd expect whoever was able to do it to flaunt their victory. It just makes this all the more peculiar."

"I'd hoped we were done with this kind of mess, at least until Jarod escapes again," Broots sighed and then realized what he had said. "I mean if he does, which I mean of course he probably won't. Definitely won't, not with all the new security. God."

Sydney ignored Broots' panicked looks around the corners of the ceiling for any device that may have captured his careless statement.

"We must start by finding Miss Parker. Do whatever you can, Broots. I've tried calling her with no luck."

"That would definitely be too easy," Broots mumbled.

"I'll be attempting to make further contact with Jarod. Maybe he knows more than he was able to tell me yesterday," Sydney paused and the two men stopped walking as he put an arm on Broots' shoulder. "Let me know if you find anything. I'm worried about her."

Broots' wide eyes mirrored Sydney's words and he nodded in response as Sydney broke away and disappeared into the elevator with a chime. Broots' shoulders slumped as he turned the other way, retracing his steps back to the tech room.

-----

Someone was calling his name. Electric (no, anything but electric) signals were persistently yapping in his head for him to respond, but he didn't want to. Sleep was safer. He could only have been here for a few days, a week tops. It was difficult to tell time when all sleeps felt like five minutes and interrogations, re-education, always felt like brutally stacked hours. It was probably safe to say his internal clock was skewed.

This voice was softer than Lyle's stinging one, so Jarod allowed himself to peek from beneath his lids. There was mercy; it was Sydney.

"Please, wake up, Jarod."

Jarod sat up begrudgingly, his muscles protesting adamantly. He rubbed the tingling forearm he'd been using as a makeshift pillow.

"I need to know who brought you in. If it wasn't Miss Parker then who, and how?" Sydney asked urgently, pretending he didn't notice the fresh bruises on Jarod's skin.

The pretender looked up at Sydney from the ground, but didn't respond.

"Jarod, what's wrong with you?"

After a pause, Jarod answered, "Nothing. Just another date with Lyle's jumper cables. I guess I'm feeling a little out of it."

"I'm sorry, Jarod. I wish there were more I could-"

"We're not alone, Sydney," Jarod warned with a clear of his throat.

"But my questions, I have-"

"_Camera_," he hissed.

Sydney nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets, feeling the camera's gaze on his back. On his back.

With a sudden idea, Sydney's lips formed the question he wished to impart.

_Was it Lyle?_

Jarod's eyes sparked when he realized what Sydney was doing. Grateful for the lessons on lip reading he'd received soon after escaping the Centre, he answered his mentor's question with a hesitant and barely discernable nod.

Before arousing the suspicions of anyone watching, Sydney decided he must speak, "We're going to try some exercises in the sim lab tomorrow if you're in a well enough condition."

_Was Miss Parker there?_

Another nod.

"Well enough condition," Jarod huffed. "I'm not the one you should be informing."

_Was she hurt?_

"I'd still like for you to mentally prepare yourself. It's been a while since you've performed."

Jarod's focus shifted from Sydney's silent words to his spoken ones, "Performed. Interesting word choice."

"Jarod, please. You know what I mean."

Sydney repeated. _Was she hurt?_

"I don't know," Jarod breathed, allowing his hand to catch his forehead as it sunk in distress.

"You don't know what, Jarod?"

The younger man sighed and stared back at Sydney with enough intensity and desperation that it was obvious to which question he was answering.

Sydney nodded, "I'll see you in the morning then."

"How many days," Jarod begged. "How many days have I been here?"

"This is the end of your second." Sydney knew that if he'd already lost track of time, the psychological tortures the Centre was so fond of were beginning to weigh on his prodigal, or perhaps something else.

Jarod's face fell and he slumped against the wall as he muttered to himself, "It was only two days ago. And it was all my fault."


	3. Day 3 : Day 30

**Day 3**

"Listen to me; I will not tolerate this kind of inefficiency. This is the Centre. We have higher standards than this. Update the security programs. _Make them work_. Put Bruce on the team," Mr Parker paused, allowing the person on the other end of the phone to speak. "Broots, yeah, whatever. Just do it."

Mr Parker looked up as he set the phone back into its receiver to see his daughter standing before him, her hands clasped neatly in front of her, "Ah, Angel."

"What's going on?" she asked innocently.

Her father groaned, "Jarod again. He's been liquidating Centre funds, stealing what's ours to rub our noses in his freedom once again. Just another reason I need you to bring him in and end this mess once and for all."

"I know, Daddy."

Standing, Mr Parker approached his daughter and put both hands on her shoulders. Miss Parker looked up at him cautiously with little girl eyes, "I'm not sure you do. It's been far too long since he's been back here and believe me, I know what you're capable of. If you just understood how essential-"

"I understand perfectly well!" she struggled to maintain control of her emotions, the ones that he could always toil with so easily. "Jarod's the key. To everything. _I get it_."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. Now what are you here to see me about? Something new concerning Jarod?"

"Not exactly," Miss Parker began, knowing that Jarod was precisely the reason she was here. "Actually I was letting you know that I'm taking some time off, for my birthday you know. I'd like to relax so I can get back into the Jarod pursuit with a clear head."

"Ah that's right, my little girl's birthday is coming up. But, Angel, I need you here. I've just temporarily reassigned Broots to tech security. The team needs you."

Miss Parker exhaled, letting the words come out casually, "My birthday was two days ago."

"I-" Mr Parker paused, "Oh I'm sorry. Things have just been a little hectic lately. You know how it is."

"I do. Which is why I need this. In all my years of working here, I've hardly taken a sick day. Lyle's in Denver which is currently our best shot to catch Jarod. Sydney's holding down the fort here and Broots can be transferred on a dime if they need him."

There was a moment of silence as Mr Parker considered her plea, furrowing his brow and licking his lips slightly.

"Daddy, I wasn't really _asking_."

Double take. After another few seconds of contemplation, he said "What my angel wants, my angel gets. I expect you back refreshed and ready to work."

Miss Parker shook her head, but replied, "Of course. I'll see you later, Daddy."

She turned around and her feet followed the heels that were leading her out the door with powerfully delicate taps against the floor.

"You mean you're leaving right now?"

She continued to walk.

"When will you be back?" He stared curiously at his daughter who was throwing his office door open.

"When I get back," she raised a hand.

"Angel," he called.

"It's more notice than you ever bothered with," Parker mumbled as she let the door fall shut behind her.

-----

"I'm really glad we're doing this, Miss Parker."

Jarod peered at her from the passenger seat of her town car. It hadn't even been questioned who would drive to Maine.

She sighed, clutching the steering wheel with one hand as she merged onto the highway, "I should have asked my father for the jet."

"Strangely I don't think he'd be keen on me joining you."

"He wouldn't have to know. I could distract the sweepers-"

"And I'm sure the jet is bugged with all sorts of recording and tracking devices. You would probably kill the pilot in your haste and even if you didn't, he obviously wouldn't be able to come and your father and the execs would wonder when you learned to fly a plane yourself and then once we set off-"

"Jarod! Shut up. Just shut up. I am not going to be able to handle seven hours of this if you don't. Shut. Up."

He did.

"And stop all the grinning. It's starting to creep me out."

He did not. She was obviously nervous and he found it endearing to watch her tap the steering wheel with her fingernails.

Jarod cleared his throat, "So tell me, which is more nerve-wracking: pretending to be on a vacation from the nefarious organization you put under the 'Employed By' section of your tax forms so that you can discover the truth about your life without your father finding out and ordering a hit on you, _or _spending seven hours in a car alone with me."

She glared at him for an agonizingly long moment before returning her attention to the road. Then, Parker emitted an unnaturally sardonic laugh that worried him a little bit.

-----

"Approximately 35 minutes to go, Miss Parker."

The sun had set about an hour ago and since then, they'd remained mostly silent with one exception.

"Could I get you to promise no more singing for this last hour then?"

Jarod grinned, "That was not singing; it was humming. Besides, that song is a really good time passer."

"Right, well I'm pretty sure I could use ninety nine bottles of beer right about now."

"Now don't be ridiculous. This is the smartest thing you've ever done."

"What? Let you drag me around the country and lie to the Centre, my family?" Miss Parker snipped.

"Well something like that," Jarod mumbled, crossing his arms and turning his gaze out toward the window. "You know I didn't force you into this. You came on your own."

"Please, Jarod. You've been manipulating me since I was ten years old. How is this any different?"

"Because you're not ten years old. You're," he stopped, noticing the deadly expression on her face. "Older than that. Plus I really don't think I manipulated you then. Maybe recently, but only because you've been chasing me."

"Yeah I was doing my job. Sorry about that."

"Not your everyday kind of job."

"Yeah well I was damn good at it," Miss Parker grumbled.

Jarod laughed, "Oh really? Then why am I not at the Centre?"

"Because I'm smart enough to know that having the genius on my side could be a very useful thing."

"So this is all about exploiting my talents?" he nodded.

"Exactly," Parker grinned, throwing a glance his way. She was satisfied to see he was grinning too, though shaking his head at the same time.

-----

Parker climbed the last step to Ben's stoop in slow motion. Jarod followed behind her with two bags hung over his shoulder, noticing for the first time that she wasn't wearing heels. She seemed much smaller than normal. Coupled with the anxiety he could see in her bright blue eyes, Miss Parker actually seemed vulnerable.

"Ring the bell," she ordered, tucking her hair behind her ears. The way she stood under the porch light, her face was only half illuminated, the rest of her still in the shadow. She was beautiful.

Jarod asked her hesitantly, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Just ring the bell, Jarod. Ring the bell."

Crickets chirped while he pondered her request, ultimately obeying like the good labrat he was. Parker was staring at the door expectantly, but he remained focused on her, wondering why she was so scared.

The door creaked open and through the screened door, they could identify Ben in khaki pants and a flannel shirt.

"My God, Miss Parker," Ben smiled, opening the screen door to beckon her inside. "And Jarod, too? What's going on?"

Parker smiled back and her voice was so kind that Jarod had to remind himself who he was with, "We need your help."

* * *

**Day 30**

Sydney was persistent; anyone could certainly give him that. The poor doctor had been attempting to coax Jarod into pretending his way through one menial warm-up Sim for almost two hours. There were times when he was so convincing that Jarod had to consider why he couldn't just go ahead and do it.

"Jarod, please. This could never be skewed in a harmful way. You _know _this."

He did know it, "Doesn't matter, Sydney. One slip is enough to topple the whole house of cards. You know _that_."

Sydney pulled the other chair out from beneath the metal table Jarod was sitting at calmly, the file contents scattered on the table before him as if Sydney were hoping some sort of photo or text would jump out at the pretender and lure him in, "I understand your reluctance. You have a good heart, which is precisely the reason that Jessica Saunders needs you to identify the cause of her father's accident. Who knows how many lives you could save?"

"Or destroy."

"That's not what this is about."

Jarod smiled a little, speaking playfully, "Never is, is it? Not officially anyway."

The psychiatrist sat and leaned across the table, "I can't bare the thought of what they'll do to you if you continue to refuse cooperating."

"Let Lyle have his fun. He'll get bored before I give in," Jarod answered confidently. "I already told you where your focus should be."

"Jarod, you don't understand the predicament I'm in. They won't allow me to see you if we produce no results."

"Just who do they think will do a better job?"

"My methods of reasoning are dated. Younger doctors with new, more persuasive techniques will be brought in."

"Sounds compelling."

Before Sydney could reply, Broots entered the room looking around nervously.

"Uh, Sydney," Broots glanced at Jarod who was staring at him openly. The direct eye contact threw his thought process off track and Broots stumbled on his syllables before speaking humanly. "I just wanted to update you about that thing you told me to check out and Robby told me you were down here, he saw you on the security monitors and told me since well I'm working in security this week and I was there-"

"What did you find, Broots?" Sydney intervened smartly.

Broots hesitated, clearly worried about Jarod's presence, and spoke softly "Well, honestly, I haven't found anything. It's like that thing just vanished. Not a trace anywhere. The only unusual thing." He glanced at the cameras. "Is that all the higher ups like Lyle and Raines and Mr Parker are nowhere to be found."

Jarod was listening intently and he knew that Broots' last revelation meant that they were working on something more important than their golden pretender project, and there weren't many things that ranked higher on their list. Sydney jotted something on a piece of paper, ripped it from its pad and handed it to Broots. Jarod's eyes narrowed at the passing of the secret message.

Broots scanned the paper quickly and then looked back to Sydney, "Give me ten minutes."

With that he left.

"Let's try something else, Jarod," Sydney went on as if Broots had never been there at all. "Why don't you tell me about your time out of the Centre?"

"What do you want to know?" Jarod countered suspiciously.

"What gave you the most satisfaction? Was it your own personal freedom or helping the people you met along the way?"

"Helping them I guess. It's difficult to measure."

Sydney nodded, "Of course. Can I ask why you helped so many people instead of focusing on finding your own family?"

"I wanted to focus on them. Certain obstacles made that difficult."

"Yes, but you clearly devoted a significant portion of your time to others when you didn't have to. Why?"

Jarod sighed and scratched behind his ear, "I know what you're doing, Sydney."

"Nonsense I-" Sydney's eyes darted elsewhere.

"I did work as a psychiatrist for a while and I applied this same technique to plenty of my patients," Jarod rolled his eyes. "You would love for me to say that I helped those other people because I wanted to do right in the world and make up for all of the catastrophes I unwillingly helped design. Right?"

"Is that not true?" Sydney propped his chin in his hand, hanging on Jarod's every word.

Jarod shook his head, "Of course it's true."

"Then why don't you just-"

"No, Sydney. No. Nothing I do here will ever make up for what has already happened. Don't you get that? This place is the root of that evil," he paused, lowering his voice. "I won't be a part of it, no matter what the consequences for me are."

Sydney stared at his pupil for a long while, then stared away again. After a moment he spoke, "Ah there it is."

"What?" Jarod asked, uninterestedly.

"Our cue." Sydney smiled.

-----

There were no lights in her room and with every meaning of the phrase, she was sick of being left in the dark. There was no question who was behind this, and she would be sure to make the bastards pay. All the solitude, it was meant to throw her off balance. It was pathetic how they would apply the same techniques that she'd seen used on others her entire life. It was about as constructive as putting her through a T-board.

Her mind shifted and three day old memories surfaced. She had never acted so stupidly in all her life. And for a genius no less.

-----

"Broots and I are getting nowhere, so her only hope is you," Sydney ended his speech. "Broots can only keep the cameras looping for so long before someone gets suspicious. You must make a decision and make it fast."

Jarod was not reacting the way Sydney had expected. Instead of hopeful, the pretender seemed forlorn, agonized.

"You want me to pretend to be Miss Parker and find out where she is?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes!" Sydney answered proudly.

Jarod scoffed and placed his hands on either side of his head, "What the hell makes you think I haven't already tried that on my own?"

"You have?"

"Yes of course I have!" Jarod stood abruptly, letting the chair fall over backwards. "Not a free moment goes by where I don't try to think her free from wherever she is, Sydney. I'm not just sitting in my cell counting the cracks in the ceiling all night! And you can sure bet I'm not sleeping." He paused, letting Sydney stand and approach him like a lion tamer. "If I could just sim out where she is or create a prognosis in my mind of her physical condition right now, I would have done it already. I don't know where she is and only God knows what they've done to her. Will do to her, I don't know. I don't know anything."

"Jarod," Sydney grabbed his pretender's bicep. "Please tell me what happened."

Jarod couldn't make eye contact with his mentor. He was somewhere else when he spoke, "I let her down. I failed. You told me I can't save everyone and you were right."

Sydney could only tighten the lines on his face, ushering the younger man on with silence. He could hardly hear him when he did speak.

"Now look what's happened. Where's all the hope now?" Jarod changed his tone. "Please find her, Sydney. She's experienced enough disappointment."


	4. Day 4 : Day 31

**Day 4**

Parker crept down the stairs of Ben's old-fashioned home, cursing every whining floorboard beneath her. Last night she had been too physically and mentally exhausted to even begin digging into their reasons for coming here. Ben had set her and Jarod up for the night without questions, knowing that the time would come.

Just like the last time she was here, Parker had relished in one of her best nights of sleep ever knowing that the room and the bed she slept in had once served as her mother's very own safe haven. She was still an early riser though, years of habit not easily washed away. It was early enough that the sunlight was just beginning to mist through the lacey white curtains of the living room. Ben had offered Jarod his own room, but the pretender had politely declined and made himself comfortable on the sofa, which is where he was lying when Parker approached him.

Parker gently rolled her graceful dancer's feet toward his unconscious form, hovering over the back of the couch. She'd never seen him so at peace or heard such relief in someone's soft breaths. She imagined he must sleep well here, too.

Allowing her mind to drift around lazily was a luxury in her life which came rarely in the drives to and from work or in her warm morning shower. She could think freely here. Her mind's drifting from her last visit to Maine, to memories of her mother, to the surprises of the past few days caused her to be all the more surprised when Jarod's eyes sprung open and locked directly onto hers.

Parker jumped and clutched her chest, "Jesus Christ, Jarod. Do not do that."

Blinking sleepily, Jarod muttered in a sleep-coated voice, "I just opened my eyes."

"Yeah, well," she drifted off, realizing that that was in fact all he did and that she was being a tad overly dramatic.

"Were you enjoying the view?" he grinned, still looking up at her.

Miss Parker scoffed, "I was just surprised you weren't bawling in your sleep. I've noticed you calling Sydney to make the bad dreams all better."

Jarod refused to show her that her mocking tone could easily sting his pride. "Yeah you're right. I've had no reason for nightmares in my life."

"Oh save it. I'm sick of your sob fests. When will you get over it and grow a pair?"

Jarod bolted upright, "What exactly do you want me to get over, Miss Parker? My entire life has been nothing but manipulation and lies! I would think that of anyone, you would understand the way that feels."

Parker stared at him in silence, shocking him when she replied softly, "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't want to be like this here."

"What do you mean?" Jarod stared at her perplexed.

"I mean this was my mother's retreat. She could be herself here without worrying about the Centre or the lies. She could just be. Arguing with you here just," Parker paused. "Destroys that magic."

Tilting his head, Jarod's expression softened dramatically, "Since when do you believe in magic?"

Their eyes locked and the rest of the world probably froze. Reality never seemed so new, so inviting.

But the world didn't freeze, and neither did Ben, who chose that moment to clomp down the stairs with the lack of subtlety that curses all aging men who have lost the elasticity in their joints and the hearing from their ears.

"Hey kids. How do pancakes sound?" he asked cheerily.

Jarod broke his gaze with Parker and smiled at him, "Sounds like music to my ears, Ben."

-----

Maple syrup scent and the clattering sounds of dishes permeated the air twenty minutes later. Parker had never been a fan of butter yellow decor, yet somehow it seemed to fit just right in this kitchen. She was trying to resist looking at Jarod to prevent the nausea she experienced while watching him scarf half a syrup-saturated pancake in one massive bite. She picked at her own food and took a polite bite as Ben sat down across from her.

"I really am thrilled that the two of you are here," Ben began. Cue the polite, yet certainly not forced guest smiles. "But I know that only something important could bring you two together. And if you're here with me it has to do with Catherine."

"Yes it does," Parker began. "I know that my mother's secrets are what will free me from the Centre forever."

"You wish to leave the Centre?"

She and Jarod glanced at one another instantly before she answered, "Yes."

Ben's painted white chair creaked as he leaned back against it with a sigh, "That's very risky business, Miss Parker."

"I know, but my mother was brave enough to try and get me out and I refuse for her death to have been in vain."

"To get us both out," Jarod added.

Ben smiled gently, "Everything she did was for her little girl. It really was. She loved you so much. I never even had the chance to see you two together, but I didn't have to. I could see it in her eyes when she told me which songs you played at your piano recital, how well you were doing in school, or the latest book you two had been reading together."

Parker wiped at the corners of her eyes and replied in her strongest voice, "I know she loved me."

The two men pretended not to have heard the rift in her voice.

"Your mother would be extremely proud of you." Ben had a way of pushing every damn button in her emotional core.

She spread a plastic smile on her face, "That's difficult to believe."

"It shouldn't be. It takes amazing resolve and strength to defy the environment that surrounds you. Your mother was an incredible fighter. She never liked talking about Centre business with me, but I certainly knew that about her."

"See, I never got to know that side of her at all. She let me believe that nothing was wrong for so long," Parker sighed. "Sometimes I feel like I never really knew her at all."

"But you did. You knew her better than anyone because when she was with you, she was exactly who she wanted to be."

Those words were what it took to pull the tears that had been threatening the brims of her eyes. The combination of Maine, Ben, and her mother's memory were lethal to Miss Parker's facade. In fact, she was so far from her normal element that it was okay when Jarod put his arm around her.

-----

Later, the three of them sat in the living room. Parker was nursing a warm cup of English tea which Ben had smartly brewed for her after breakfast. Its herbs were soothing to her temperament and she was quickly rebuilding her boundaries.

"Does this photograph mean anything to you?" Jarod displayed the picture in his palm for Ben to see.

Taking it into his hands, Ben nodded, "Catherine showed me this place before. She said it would be the beginning of her new life and she hoped that together we would share it one day."

"The marking of her freedom?" Jarod repeated.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what she meant. I always found it difficult to press her because she rarely wanted to talk about the cryptic implications she often made, usually involving something dark that she wanted out of."

Parker had been silent until now, "She wanted to live there with you?"

"Yes I believe so."

"She wanted to run away with you," she whispered, smoothing the dent in Jarod's pillow beside her. "She was going to leave my father."

"That always seemed to be pretty clear in her plan, Parker," Jarod reminded her gently.

"I- I know. I just hadn't thought about what she'd do after that. She told me we were going to Europe."

"And you probably were," Ben inserted. "But not permanently. No, she always wanted to return to Maine."

"To live with you," she finished. "Where is this house?"

"Tomorrow you can go on your treasure hunt, Miss Parker. Today you'll rest."

Ben stood up and took her empty teacup and saucer into his hands and walked toward the kitchen. Parker looked at Jarod with the did-he-really-say-that? look, but of course he was grinning like a lunatic. Witnessing her doing nothing but relax all day long would indubitably be the hot fudge to his sundae.

* * *

**Day 31**

"I just need more time!" Sydney slammed his fist against Mr Parker's desk impatiently. Lyle rolled his eyes and sighed while his father actually considered Sydney's plea.

"I'm sorry Sydney, but the longer Jarod is within the Centre and not cooperating, the greater the risk that he will make another escape attempt."

Sydney could tell by the lack of emotion in Mr Parker's eyes that he was not sorry at all.

Lyle stepped forward, "Yeah, Sydney. You've had plenty of time to make our puppet dance and there hasn't been an inch of progress since day one."

"It's time to resort to different tactics," Mr Parker declared to Lyle's nod.

The psychiatrist crossed his arms, "What kind of tactics?"

"How about the kind that work?" Lyle was beaming and Sydney literally felt a wave of nausea splash through his stomach.

"We have a plan in development. Should we need your assistance in any way, you will be contacted. Until then, you may consider Jarod to be someone else's problem."

"What?" Sydney said. "You can't be serious. Nobody knows Jarod better than I do. Nobody can understand him better than I do. I must be on this project."

"I think you'll be surprised at how quickly we prove you wrong on that one, doctor," Lyle sneered.

"What is the plan?"

Mr Parker growled back, "Need to know."

"Which you don't," chimed Lyle.

"Jarod is no ordinary project, Mr Parker," Sydney began, deciding to ignore Lyle's barbs. "He cannot be experimented and played with. There is no one more valuable."

"I think after forty five years of running this place that I understand Jarod's worth," Mr Parker answered angrily.

As always, Sydney remained calm and objective. "Whatever your plan is, I will offer you my guidance. You would be wise to accept it."

A few seconds passed and Mr Parker nodded, "I will keep that in mind, Sydney. That will be all for now."

-----

Tasting your own blood always sets life into perspective. She'd experienced the sensation more times than she cared to count in the past few days. There were dark bruises on her body of various stages and sensitivity. Particular abuse had been given to her face and limbs, rarely elsewhere. She didn't recognize any of the suited men who entered her cell which she found peculiar. It made her question her location, but deep down she knew exactly where she was. There couldn't be anywhere darker, colder than the Centre.

-----

Jarod had been humming his familiar childhood tune for hours, the ups and downs of the melody lulling him into an artificial peacefulness. Cree-craw toad's foot, geese walk barefoot. Over and over again.

He hadn't seen Sydney at all today and that was probably a bad sign. Jarod could only imagine that the triumvirate's patience was wearing thin and his mentor would be paying the price, but only for now. He was under no delusions and knew he would suffer his own consequences soon enough.

Soon happened to be sooner than he thought. The door to his cell room opened and Jarod turned his head to see who his visitor was today. Would they come baring pain instruments or a new bout of twisted psychology?

But the anonymous men came with something else, someone else, whom they shoved toward the bars between themselves and Jarod. Jarod's heart diced and he felt it beat through his throat, his stomach, his fingertips. They'd gone too far this time, a feat he'd believed the Centre to have accomplished many times over already. Not hardly.

Jarod scrambled to the bars to meet her, shooting his arm through to catch her chin and raise it delicately. With eyes that had truly seen the scum of society, Parker let him gape, let him pity her.

"Oh my God," he whispered, letting the pads of his fingers brush over her skin, the slow-forming scabs on her chin, the black around her brilliantly blue yet pink-stained eyes. Every wince of pain she emitted doubled the emotion burning in his chest. She wore plain gray cotton that hung loosely around her, making her appear frightfully weak. It was strikingly obvious that her nose was broken as well. "Why did they do this to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Pushing her tangled hair away from her face, Jarod ran a hand down her bare arm until his own could reach no further through the cage, "What are you talking about?"

"To hurt you. This is all a show. They're messing around with me so that you will have an emotional breakdown like you are now," Parker stopped. "And don't you dare let it work. You hear me?"

She could visibly see his brown eyes melting with every passing second and she knew she was losing him. "Jarod! I'm serious here. You've got to be a hell of a lot stronger than this."

He shook his head numbly, "You're right. They know exactly what to do now. They're going to use you against me."

"Only if you let them, wonder boy."

Jarod rested his forehead against the bars between them, trying to smile at her choice of words, "How can I not?"

"I'll be fine, Jarod," she paused, letting him grab her hand and pull her closer so their noses were nearly touching. "My father. Well."

So many implications drifted from those words and they both knew it.

"If he's allowing these bastards to treat you this way I swear-"

"You swear what? There's nothing we can do about it and you need to get it together," she said with far less strength than the words conveyed. "We both know they brought me here to crack your nerve, but you cannot budge. That is the last thing I want you to do. You got that?"

"I can't let them do this to you," Jarod said, biting his lip. "I can't."

"Jarod! Please."

Parker was right, like she so often was and it killed him. He could hear the anxiety deep within her, an indiscernible detail to anyone else, but one that shook him entirely. Jarod was a pretender, and yet he couldn't pretend he didn't care. The Centre had discovered his Achilles' heel and nothing terrifed him more.


	5. Day 5 : Day 32

**Day 5**

Finding the house proved more difficult than Jarod and Miss Parker had hoped. It had been many years since Ben had visited it, but he at least remembered it was close, which narrowed down Jarod's list of possibilities. They'd left Ben who still had his inn to attend to in the mean time. Fresh snow had fallen overnight and even Miss Parker understood that driving slowly wasn't a bad idea.

When they finally drove down the winding road and saw the White Pine sign, their bickering ceased and they were silent pulling into the drive. They realized that this was indeed the place where they needed to be. Miss Parker stepped out of the vehicle, her presence as domineering here in this secluded property as it could be on the right side of a T-board. Her trailing red coat was magnificent against their white-frosted surroundings. She made her way to the front door gracefully before Jarod could even slam his car door shut.

"It's locked," she hollered back, jiggling the knob roughly.

"Hold on I can pick it," Jarod called as he jogged up to the long stretching porch, his steps crunching the snow beneath him as he pounded toward her.

A booming shot startled him. Miss Parker was smiling victoriously and returning her gun to the small of her back, "No need."

"Sometimes patience pays off, Miss Parker."

She glanced at him, noticing the bits of snow flurries that had landed in his hair. One on his eyebrow that she really wanted to wipe away.

"Yeah and sometimes it's a waste of time. Come on."

Inside, the house was empty and the floorboards creaked as they carefully tread through the various rooms downstairs. The place was modest, but equally spacious. Looking past the peeling paint and now broken front door, it was clear by the house's wrapping porch and the grand fireplace in the living room that it would have made a very livable home for a growing family. Catherine's growing family. What could have been Miss Parker's own family.

"I wonder why nobody's lived here," Parker murmured.

Jarod ran his hand down one of the walls, "Your mother probably owned it if she planned to live here. Maybe when she died, it was given to Ben."

"My father would never have allowed that. He didn't even know about her coming here. We should have asked Ben before we left."

"We can do it later. There's nothing down here. Let's go upstairs."

They went, separating once they reached the top landing.

Parker opened a door and immediately focused on the lone object in the room, "Jarod, come here!"

"What?" he said, poking his head in. "Oh."

In the corner of the room was a metal safe. Jarod immediately knelt down in front of it and began twisting the knob, listening acutely for the clicks he desired. Parker knelt down beside him, brushing his hand away from it.

"Don't be an idiot, wonderboy." From her red coat's pocket, she pulled out the key she had been given merely three days ago. Easing the key into the lock, she grinned like a hyena when it turned easily and the door clicked open.

One more glance at Jarod, who was watching carefully, and she pulled back the safe door.

"Always files," she breathed, reaching for the contents inside which were indeed folders and notebooks, the metaphorical treasures they constantly sought.

Jarod too grabbed one of the files and began rummaging through the text within it. "This is all about you, Miss Parker."

She looked up from the file she held, "And this is about you."

"Me?" he shifted his body so he was leaning over her shoulder to read. "Those are the results of a simulation I apparently did. I can't remember Sim #04301970B."

"And here's the same Sim number, but the letter at the end is A." Her head tilted and her brow furrowed. "The Sim number."

Jarod was still shifting through his memories, "I don't remember any simulation codes of mine that had letters at the end."

"The number, Jarod."

"Hm? What about it?" He reviewed it again.

"That's the date my mother faked her death, her _suicide_," Parker's voice dropped and she shook her head. "But why? That's no damn coincidence. It has to mean something. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know," Jarod whispered, fearing the worst. She let him take the papers from her hand, watching him scan the lines over. His eyes darkened the more and more he read. Parker wanted to read with him but found herself caught up in the emotion exploding out of his eyes.

"What is it, Jarod?" she asked completely compassionately.

"This can't be real," he finally answered, shoving the papers back into the safe. "It's not true."

He was being a little creepy at this point, when all she wanted were the answers to her questions. "What's not true?"

"This simulation," Jarod said with disgust. "Is a designed escape plan. The ultimate escape out of the worst kind of prison. The easiest way to outrun one's problems is to simply stop playing the game."

"What game? What the hell are you babbling about?"

"I'm talking about suicide. I'm talking about life."

Miss Parker's eyes narrowed, "You mean to tell me that through your little simulation, you convinced my mother that suicide was her best way out of her problems?"

"No! Of course not. I would never do that." Jarod ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "I constructed a way for her to reap the benefits of what suicide would bring, without actually having to do it. I showed her how to fake her death."

Her mouth gaped and she knew her hands were visibly shaking. That didn't matter right now and she snatched the file back from out of the safe, flipping it open in a whirl of fury. "You completed this not even a month before it happened. How in the hell could you forget you did it when you watched it happen before your very own eyes? I'm sure you planned out every damn detail too so she could get it just right and she trusted you so she would have followed your little plan perfectly. How could you not remember, Jarod, _how_?"

"I don't know! Damn it, Parker. You know I wouldn't hide something like this from you. I couldn't."

"Then how do you explain this?"

Parker was looking at him with little girl eyes and he could almost see within them the image of her being pulled away from that elevator screaming desperately for her mother. She wasn't angry with him, not really. She was just desperately trying to band-aid that wound she'd worn for so many years.

"I don't know. Maybe I was hypnotized to forget it like when she brought me to Raines' cabin. She probably wanted to keep me ignorant so that I'd be protected from any investigating. I'll check the DSA's when we get back to Ben's, but I don't think either of these are on them." Jarod took a deep breath. "I swear to you, I had no idea. It would have killed me to know I played a part in your pain. It does even now."

She believed him. She didn't want to. It would have made things so much easier if she could dismiss him as a liar and know that he had kept this lie a secret from her. As always though, she knew better than to believe that. She'd believed such ridiculous things for too much of her life.

Ignoring his last statement, she sighed. "What's in the other file?"

"I'm not sure I want to know," Jarod grumbled and picked up the discarded file, Sim #04301970A.

"Yeah what you want isn't really relevant right now," she mumbled.

Jarod glared at her. She shrugged. Whatever. It was the truth.

He was taking too long to read so Miss Parker leaned close over his shoulder to read it herself. The beginning was a lot of mumbo jumbo on Jarod the glorious child prodigy. Yippy skippy. The bottom explained the goals and procedures of the sim. She was just beginning to read the good stuff when she heard Jarod's "oh my God."

"What?"

Jarod took a deep breath. He hated playing with fire and nothing burned more than Miss Parker when it concerned her mother. "Your mother. Your trip to Europe. This place. All of it. I designed it. They were my ideas."

"What?" she repeated a little more intensely. "That's impossible."

His eyes were still scanning through the documents. "I mean I didn't choose this exact place, but I suggested somewhere just like it in a place out of Delaware, a place nobody else knew about where she could feel safe."

"You were helping her to escape from the Centre," Parker whispered.

"I didn't know it was her I was simulating but yeah I guess I was."

"Just like you're helping me now."

Jarod could hear the realization in her voice and he was scared to death that if he broke eye contact with her now, she would never look at him so preciously again.

"I don't even remember doing it," he tried to justify modestly.

The spell broke and she looked away toward the window where the snow was still falling with extreme dedication.

"She told me we were going to Europe so that she could show me the world," Parker shook her head solemnly. "But I'm sure that was just another step in your plan."

"It doesn't matter if it was part of the plan or not. The entire idea was meant to protect you. She _did _want to show you the world, the good parts of it. That's why she had to get you away from the Centre."

"Me. And what about you? And Angelo?"

"Well, that's in here, too," Jarod answered hesitantly.

Miss Parker's eyebrows lifted, "And?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes it damn well does."

"There are a lot of rooms in this house, Miss Parker."

"Point being?" Her words were sticky and slow. She knew the answer.

"She was going to bring us here, too."

Miss Parker massaged her temples gently, "So if this had worked out, we would have really grown up together. Living in the same house, eating the same meals at the same table."

She stopped, unable to muse any further.

"I guess. At least until we found my family and Angelo's too."

"God, even in my dream life I can't get away from you can I?"

Jarod's mouth bent at the sad irony, and the desperate way she said it, "I told you we've always been connected."

"Yeah and it's fantastic, really. In fact, this has all been nice to know but it's really gotten us nowhere."

"That's not true," the Jarod light bulb went off. "Your mother clearly had two plans. Plan A and Plan B. The question becomes why she had to resort to Plan B, the fake suicide. Something went wrong."

Parker was nodding, "Maybe if you could remember simming these things, that could help us. Maybe she told you something that wasn't written here."

"Maybe," he breathed out. "But if I was really hypnotized, I don't know how to get the memories out of my head without Sydney."

Miss Parker shrugged, "Blue Cove, here we come."

"My favorite place in the world," Jarod added in an uncharacteristically sarcastic manner. Miss Parker smiled. She was rubbing off on him.

-----

There were a lot of other files in the safe, but as the two had worked through them, they came to realize that they'd stumbled upon most of this information before. There were labeled copies of all eight red files, some work-ups on Timmy/Angelo, saved letters from and to Jacob and Fennigor about rescuing the children, Catherine's concerns on the preliminary reports for the Mirage project. What intrigued Miss Parker, to the point of granting Jarod the driver's seat when they were leaving so that she could investigate further, were the notes that the Centre had taken about Miss Parker's own innate gifts.

A thin notebook seemed to be completely dedicated to Miss Parker and her progress. Since when did the Centre study her? Sure she had the pretender gene, but that had never really been explored. This was the Centre though. For her to assume they hadn't pursued one of only eight known pretenders in the world was just ignorant.

The authorization was given by her father. "Surprise surprise."

"Hm?" said Jarod. Talking to herself was difficult with someone else in the car. The car that was struggling quite a bit through the snow. If she was stuck at this freezing cold empty house in the middle of nowhere with Jarod, someone was going to pay. And only one person was in close vicinity.

"Nothing. Are you going to get us out of this driveway some time today?"

"I'm trying," he replied, pressing the gas pedal again. He opened the door and looked back at her, "Hit the gas."

Miss Parker groaned and rearranged herself into the driver's seat. Jarod had dug up some snow or something around the front tires and now he was leaning against the back, telling her to accelerate. She did. Much to her amusement, the car went flying forward and when she looked in the rearview mirror, Jarod was lying with his face in the snow. With a light laugh, she braked and put the car in park, switching again to the passenger seat.

Jarod opened the driver's door and reclaimed his seat. She was grinning boldly and he decided it would be okay to laugh with her. So they did. They laughed.

-----

They were traveling so slowly and Miss Parker hardly had the patience. She devoted herself to her reading. She had actually undergone some experiments/simulations at the Centre. Little notes on the page margins in her mother's distinct writing made it clear that she had been unaware that her daughter was being sent through these circus hoops at the cheese factory. It was all Daddy. She'd been too young to remember. As a child, she probably assumed she was playing games where Daddy worked. Those preciously tainted days before they stole her innocence forever.

The car hopped and scraped along the snow abruptly and she had to grab the "oh shit"/dry cleaning handle above the window. The engine kicked and then she heard nothing.

"What the hell have you done?"

Jarod's face was tense. It had been for the last twenty minutes of attempted driving.

"Um, Jarod?"

But he was getting out of the car and Miss Parker huffed childishly as he tossed the door shut behind him. A few moments later, he returned.

"We have to walk."

She looked at him as if he's just asked her to fly home, "No."

Jarod rolled his eyes, "You don't really have a choice in the matter unless you'd like to stay here and freeze to death."

"Wasn't really on my agenda," Miss Parker muttered. "How far are we from civilization?"

"Not far," he answered a little too quickly. "Maybe a mile or three or four."

"_Jarod_."

"We should be thankful we have something to do to keep ourselves warm, Miss Parker."

There was the predictable scowl as she exited the car, "I can think of quite a few better activities actually."

"Oh really?" Predictably smug.

"Yeah really, like you putting that big brain of yours to use and fixing this heap."

They started walking side by side, her arms crossed and his hands snug in his coat pockets.

"Oh." Jarod paused. "That's what I figured you meant."

She glared at him and began walking faster.

* * *

**Day 32**

Parker's head had been throbbing for days. This latest batch of migraines had clearly aced the how-to-reek-the-worst-kind-of-hell class at migraine academy. Her cell was small, but she was well aware it could be worse in the grand scheme of the Centre. She never thought she'd have to be thankful for light, for the regular food and water that appeared in the mornings, for the four walls that surrounded her. Yeah walls. They were a little less humiliating than the bars she now knew Jarod was enduring sublevels away.

Eight sublevels away actually. Eight down. Despite the blindfold she'd been forced to wear, she still knew the elevators in this place better than anyone. When she first began using them after her mother's supposed suicide, she'd forced herself to focus on any sort of mind-numbing monotony that she could, including how long it took to get where she needed to go.

So her location was narrowed down a bit, but not nearly enough. Hopefully with enough field trips through the halls, she'd be able to piece more together. Right now, she was more concerned with Jarod. She'd completely cracked him, and it had been glaringly obvious in his eyes yesterday. The real tragedy would be if someone else had seen what she'd seen.

To stoop so low to mangle and manipulate their beloved pretender, Parker could only imagine the kind of soul someone needed to have. Or lack thereof. Lyle certainly had it in him. What she hated to ponder was whether the same held true for her father. To someone else maybe, but to his own daughter? Could he really?

Her door opened then and she sat up on her cot, sweeping her hair to one side as if she had any dignity left to preserve.

"Hey, sis." Well, she'd definitely hit the nail on the head there.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Lyle smiled arrogantly, "Because I've always been smart enough to know the strange infatuation you have with our favorite labrat."

"_My_ infatuation? Seems to me you're banking on his."

"Yes well, that he's had a real soft spot for you has been clear from the start."

Her twin made himself comfortable on the other side of the cot. God she hated being in the same room with him.

"Then what the hell took you so long?" Miss Parker snarled.

Lyle shrugged, "Not everyone shared my views."

"Daddy," she whispered.

"Among others, but they certainly do now."

Miss Parker swallowed discretely, "You can't prove anything."

With an obnoxious laugh, Lyle replied, "Now that's funny. Real funny."

Any other time she would have had a thumb on his windpipe, but she was no fool so she let him cackle like the buffoon he was. Still, she refused to justify it with one word.

"You know he's just been sitting around in his cell all day, all teary-eyed and pathetic. Won't even answer when someone tries to talk to him. Might even have to pull Sydney in to get some English out of our chimp. I just can't wait for that beautiful moment when Jarod completely, what were your words yesterday? 'Breaks down.' Right. It will be a video for the permanent collection, that's for sure." He went on, still chuckling slightly. "Might be the most satisfying moment of my career."

Miss Parker stood abruptly, causing Lyle to twitch backward in surprise. She pointed a finger at him, "And I can't wait until he gets the better of you yet again, you sick _sick _bastard."

With his ever-present grin, he stood up to match her. "Now why would he even _think _of doing that when he knows we hold your precious little life in our hands?"

Their faces always seemed to end up mere inches apart as they challenged each other primally, the sibling rivalry blaring at its extreme.

"You're really going to regret messing around with him one day, Lyle. I guarantee it." Her blue eyes darted back and forth over his intensely. "But not nearly as much as you'll regret screwing with me."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Lyle licked his lips and winked, letting the creep factor wash over her for a moment before he edged his way to the door. She remained frozen where she was while he left, silently praying she was right. Miss Parker stayed that way for a moment, until she sunk to the floor, sitting cross-legged in the center of a mess.


	6. Day 6 : Day 33

**Day 6**

"Yep, real lucky you folks made it in when ya did last night, looks like this storm'll be another doozy."

Miss Parker rested her forehead against the wall of the living-room-pretending-to-be-a-lobby as Jarod fished for information from the motel concierge.

"When is the storm supposed to pass?"

"Mm, hard to say Jarod. Don't seem like the guys on the TV ever seem to quite know. Bet it's a hard job to do," he answered. Jarod nodded knowingly, but his informer failed to notice and continued chatting away. "Anyway, long as it's here y'all are welcome to stay free of charge. Lucky the power's still powerin' and even got the cable fer now. Got some bagels with that Philadelphia cheese if either of ya are lookin' for some breakfast."

Jarod smiled politely and glanced at the bearded man's name tag, "Thank you, Harold."

"Call me Harry! Holler if you need anything."

While Harry went off to do whatever it was Harry did, Jarod turned around to face his companion. She looked at him with a loathing he hadn't witnessed first hand in quite a while.

"Hey who would have known a storm was coming?"

Miss Parker raised one brow, "Certainly not the mastermind with a habit of cutting out newspaper articles. You know, the kind of papers with weather forecasts."

"Didn't happen to read Maine's in the last week, but flattered by your confidence. Honestly, you just shouldn't have been born in January. A nice June birthday adventure would have worked out a lot better."

"Yeah, I'll get right on fixing that one for you, Jarod. What the hell are we going to do now?" she snipped, folding her arms defensively as he stepped closer.

Jarod shrugged, "There's not much we can do. We've just got to wait. Luckily, we have a warm room to do that in, too. Why don't we get some of this breakfast and we can go from there."

The brunette swiped a plain bagel and poured some coffee with a dramatic sigh. Jarod grinned while he spread cream cheese on his bagel and stirred five spoonfuls of sugar into his steaming cup.

-----

"This is a waste of time."

Harry had already visited their room twice since they'd returned to it less than an hour ago. The first time he'd brought candles and matches in case the electricity failed. The second time he couldn't remember if he'd brought the matches, but Miss Parker assured him in her naturally kind manner that he had, so he left.

Currently, Jarod was watching the weather channel intently, his body propped up against the headboard of the queen-sized bed. There was almost as much snow clouding the TV picture as there was outside. He mumbled in response, "No choice here."

"Why is it when there's a natural catastrophe I always wind up stuck with you?" Miss Parker plopped onto the other side of the bed, jolting him from his focus. She was wearing a plush cream-colored sweater over a pair of normal blue jeans. It was nice to see her wearing denim.

"It's fate's only way of ensuring we stay in the same room for more than five minutes," he answered confidently, eyes never leaving the screen. She couldn't help but agree, confirming his statement with a nod. She pulled off her black, rubber-soled boots, leaving only thick white socks to cover her bare feet. Jarod turned his head and watched her in fascination.

"I'm so tired of waiting."

Jarod nodded, kind of maybe half-listening to the meteorologist describe weather patterns. "We're probably both waiting for the same things, too."

"A 180 degree change in your life's direction?"

"Well something like that," his voice dropped. "A change for sure."

Parker turned her attention to him, sitting beside him innocently. "If any two people deserve that, we do."

Jarod laughed a little bitterly, "Oh yeah. Definitely."

The conversation floated around in the air for a bit and Steve Ballinger the weather man suddenly became most fascinating to them both.

"Since when do we have conversations that end in agreement?" Jarod said.

Parker couldn't help smiling. He had a very good point.

"Since when do we have conversations?"

Jarod nodded passively, "I've missed them."

A mental switch snapped in Miss Parker's head and she cleared her throat, sliding off the bed, "Then you should have hurried back to the Centre instead of frolicking around the country like you're some great blessing from God. The world doesn't need another one-man vigilante."

The sound of the bathroom door closing behind her echoed in Jarod's mind, though probably not in the room itself. He sighed. He was the one who was supposed to run away, not her.

Jarod remained frozen in his thoughts until she came out of the bathroom a few moments later, her face a little more made up, her hair a little more sorted, her eyes a little more empty.

"Is that really what you think of me?"

Miss Parker paused, not even sure he'd really said it, his voice so quiet. "It doesn't matter what I think of you, Jarod."

"Yes it does."

"No actu-"

His voice rose abruptly, "It matters to me."

Parker licked her bottom lip in a subtle motion, contemplating. "No, that's not really what I think of you. It's what I'm supposed to think of you."

Jarod's eyebrows twitched up his forehead slightly, surprised to hear her actually admit it. "So what does Miss Parker really think? I don't want the party line."

With the tiniest hint of laughter in her tone, she answered straight-faced, "She probably doesn't think now's the time to discuss this."

He shook his head negatively, "No. There's no better time. When could there possibly _be _a better time than now when we're completely alone in the middle of nowhere, where nothing and nobody can hurt us for telling the truth?"

"The truth," she returned to her spot on the bed next to him. "There's no truth left to tell."

"That's _all _that's left to tell."

She thought about that for a minute, finally coming to terms with it. "Where do we possibly start?"

"The same way everyone else does. Just," Jarod chewed the words over. "Tell me about yourself."

"But you already know so much. There's no point."

"Not anymore I don't. Come on Parker, we don't have anything else to do."

He could see a million thoughts racing through those brilliant sapphire eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

The irony somersaulted deep in her stomach.

-----

"I just can't remember okay? _What _is the big deal?"

Jarod's mouth gaped open dramatically and he fell backward onto the mattress, "The big deal is that everyone should remember their first taste of ice cream or at least the last time they had it. That you can't remember either one, it's just a shame."

"Well I hope you don't lose sleep over it," Parker mocked playfully.

She was actually enjoying her conversation about nothing with Jarod. She couldn't stop to think about what she was doing because that would ruin everything and she knew that. She knew this was wrong, she really did. But to stop now, it just wouldn't feel right.

"I will though, and you're going to have to live with that."

"Boo hoo," she said.

Jarod grinned childishly, noticing how her lips pursed with the oo's as she enunciated them perfectly. Even from his vantage point, upside down on the bed looking up at her, she was immaculate. Immaculate.

"If we had some milk and sugar, I would make you some with the snow right now."

"You mean you can't concoct some from the toothpaste and leftover coffee?"

"Come now, Miss Parker. That would just be disgusting."

"To normal human beings. I figured you might be up for it."

"I'm charmed."

"Shut up."

The undeniable smirk on his face was as grating as ever.

She wouldn't have to see it for long.

"Damn it."

"Power's out," Jarod mumbled.

"You think?"

The afternoon sun ricocheted off of the white world outside through their window, so there was still enough light to see.

Parker sighed, "No more weather reports."

"No, but we'll know when the electricity returns that the roads have been cleared enough that someone could have fixed the power," Jarod said in a gentle voice.

She nodded, completely assured that he would be right like always.

-----

It was completely dark outside now. Harry had stopped by with even more candles ("just in case Mama N gives us a real good beatin'!") so the room was lit enough. He'd also brought them a bag of food he'd scavenged from his own cabinets. Jarod had taken it appreciatively and assured him that he'd done more than enough for them. Besides, Jarod had raided the vending machines only a few hours before the power went out and they had Snickers and Reese's galore.

Parker took the bag from Jarod's arms and emptied its contents onto the table, sifting through them impatiently and groaning at items like potato chips and Keebler's cookies. "I'd rather just starve," she mumbled. Jarod closed the door, reminding Harry that they needed to preserve what heat they had left, and made his way to the table to examine their new treasures.

"Looks like peanut butter and jelly will have to suffice as the main entree tonight," Parker announced.

Jarod's brow furrowed, "I've heard about this. I've seen peanut butter commercials on TV. They say it's very good."

"It's better than Cheeto's anyway. Besides this looks like homemade jam, so it might not be completely saturated in sugar."

Jarod watched her pull two slices of bread out of the package and carefully spread a thin layer of red jam on one piece and the peanut butter on the other piece. She sat down at the wooden table and took a bite, eventually meeting his eye contact. After chewing and swallowing, she said "Well it's not rocket science. Just try it for yourself."

He copied her actions perfectly and smiled after his first bite, "That _is _good."

She nodded and answered sarcastically, "Yeah it's fantastic. Bon appetit."

And so that's how Jarod and Miss Parker came to share a peanut butter and jelly dinner by candle light. There wasn't much talking. There really didn't need to be. By the time they were done, Jarod had eaten two more sandwiches, only stopping when Parker reminded him that they only had one loaf of bread. He then reduced himself to candy bars and potato chips.

"You're going to be sick."

Jarod feigned offense, "I'm never sick."

"The invincible Jarod," she mocked with a grin.

He smiled back, mesmerized by the reflection of a candle's flame in her pupil. Her eyes were literally glowing now, and her skin was golden under the flames' light. Jarod suddenly realized why candle light was romantic. It brought out everyone's features and made them sparkle, keeping the rest of the world in darkness.

"We should blow out some of these candles," he said, standing and reaching for a thin white candle set on the night stand.

"Um why exactly would we want to do that?"

"These are fresh candles. You're only supposed to burn them for approximately an hour for each inch in diameter. It lets the hot wax extend to the outside edges instead of pooling in the center." Jarod blew the flame out, "Now we let it cool and the next time we light it, it will always burn to the edge."

Parker's face remained stoic the entire time he talked, "Fascinating."

But when he pointed to the thin candle on the table, she grabbed it and blew until the flame was gone. She snatched one of the two remaining lit candles and brought it to the nightstand where the other one was. She then proceeded to the bed where Jarod was already leaning against the headboard with his legs stretched out. Parker sat beside him, legs folded Indian style.

"Now what?" he said.

She leaned forward and Jarod glanced up at her, startled by her sudden proximity. Smoothly, she grabbed his chin and with her thumb, wiped a bread crumb away from the corner of his mouth. "Slob."

Jarod took a deep breath, realizing how his heart had jumped with anticipation, "Very funny."

His actions didn't go unnoticed, nor did the feeling of his whiskers on her fingertips, "Do you ever feel guilty? About leaving the Centre?"

He shook his head adamantly, "I'm only guilty of not leaving sooner."

Parker nodded slightly, other thoughts clearly in her head.

"You were jealous weren't you?" he probed.

"No," was her immediate response, but he knew better than to believe it so he waited. "Well I did seem to get the worse end of the deal don't you think?"

"Yes I do," Jarod whispered sincerely.

She glanced at him and shivered, "You want to know what I really think of you, Jarod?"

His eyes lit up, but he stood and rummaged in the closet for a few seconds, returning with a blanket, which he in turn handed to her. Her frustration with his lack of attention disappeared when she realized just how much he was paying attention.

"I think," she continued, unfolding the tan blanket and wrapping it around herself. "That it's a damn miracle anything good has ever come from that rotten place. Everything you've been doing since you left- it just, it shows that there's some kind of hope no matter what. It took a long time for me to see that and you're really the reason why I do."

"Wow." Jarod was smiling

"Don't act so surprised. Raines told me once he didn't have to follow the Hippocratic Oath anymore and you know what, neither do I."

"Parker, Parker, Parker," he shook his head. "You should never compare yourself with Raines."

He was completely and utterly correct so she laughed. Parker laughed.

"I love it when you do that," Jarod grinned.

She took a deep breath, a smile still smeared messily on her face, "What?"

"Laugh."

Parker tucked some stray tendrils of hair behind her ears self-consciously. "There's usually not much reason to."

"Usually," he murmured.

With a soft sigh, Parker scoot herself backward until she was leaning against the headboard as well. "We're quite the dysfunctional pair aren't we?"

"We seem to be functioning pretty decently right now," Jarod pointed out.

She didn't answer, but when Jarod slid his arm behind her neck and draped it loosely over her shoulder there was no protest. She prayed he hadn't noticed her holding her breath as he did so. He was praying the same thing.

He was warm and it was cold. This was completely justifiable. Anyone could see that. Perhaps not her father. No, he almost certainly would not be able to see that. But Jarod was right, the Centre wasn't here. There was nobody here but the two of them. Besides, what had her father done to deserve her loyalty? If she could only think of one reason.

"Jarod."

"Hm?" He tilted his head down toward her in his ever-curious way.

"Did you know," Parker paused and bit her bottom lip slightly. "Did you know that girls mature faster than boys?"

Jarod smiled crookedly, a little unsure if she really meant what she was implying. "I think someone told me that once."

Parker nodded and with all the innocence and grace of that little girl, she initiated a sweet kiss that left Jarod's lips tingling for more when she pulled away after a few brief seconds. She stared at him timidly, but his eyes dripped dangerously with desire.

Jarod reached for her chin and returned her mouth to his for a deeper kiss. This was the grown-up version of something that hadn't happened for nearly thirty years. Very grown-up.

After a moment, he pulled away, her face completely cupped within his palms. "You're not going to kill me are you?"

She smiled devilishly, "Probably not."

"Good enough."

He leaned over and blew out the remaining candles so that they were in complete darkness. With her head settled in the crook of his arm, they both fell asleep. Really.

* * *

**Day 33**

"All right, Jarod. Enough's enough. Today you're going back to work whether you like it or not."

He didn't like it, but his choice was clear. If he didn't cooperate the way the Centre wished, Miss Parker would be the one paying the price. They had finally found his weakness and they were going to manipulate it to their best advantage no matter the cost. It was typical Centre procedure.

Jarod straightened from his slumped position on the floor of the sim lab he had conveniently been transported to, "She's your sister."

Lyle nodded solemnly, "It is unfortunate, the sacrifices that must be made."

"You're sick."

"Yes. Sick of you wasting our time. There's no debate here. You know what the consequences for your disobedience will be."

Jarod was hunched over with his hands clutching his head in frustration. He couldn't look Lyle in the eye. If he did, he'd only think of how much bluer and passionate Parker's were.

"Or do you?" said Lyle. "No, maybe you need some physical proof that we mean business this time."

Lyle smiled eerily while he watched Jarod shake his head in pathetic protest.

"Boys, bring her in!" he called.

The door opened with the obnoxious noise of metal against metal. It was anything but shocking when three burly sweepers came in with Miss Parker standing between them. One sweeper attempted to guide her into the room with a hand to her back, and with a quick "Not today, bucko" gave up.

"You guys are still letting my sister boss you around? You do realize she's the prisoner right?" Lyle stepped unnaturally close to her. "Hey, sis."

"Even your monkeys can see this is a stupid idea, why don't you give it a rest already?" Miss Parker snipped defiantly.

Jarod was watching the sibling exchange passively, but with one quick glance he could tell that she was scared, too. She had always been better at hiding her emotions than he had, years of practice he figured. Still, he had years of practice decrypting her emotional codes.

"You're not in charge anymore. Now shut up."

Miss Parker grinned wickedly, "Sure thing, boss."

Lyle glared at her before returning his attention to their pretender. "You're going to get up and sit at that table now, Jarod."

Jarod studied Lyle's face carefully. He decided that Lyle was on the brink of losing control and that would not end well for him or Miss Parker, so he decided to obey the simple request.

"There you go, now that wasn't so hard was it?"

Easily cheered.

Miss Parker crossed her arms impatiently. Jarod almost smiled. She was always waiting for the rest of the world to catch up to her.

"Notice the folder on the table. It is called Project Indigo, Sim #29801330, not that it really matters to you. Sydney will be in to better debrief you shortly, that is once you agree to perform. It would just be a waste of time to have him here until you do make that very important decision." Lyle leaned against the table. "And by important, I mean important to both your lives."

"He's not going to do it, Lyle."

In an instant Lyle had his hands clenched around her thin neck. Her sputtering and gasping were muted because Miss Parker was always in control, "Not another damn word, do you hear me? You are decoration in this exercise, so shut the hell up before I have the infirmary remove your vocal chords."

"Let her go."

The instant Jarod said it, Lyle did so.

"So you _do _want to cooperate?"

Jarod grimaced, watching Miss Parker carefully out of the corner of his eye while she took slow deep breaths, "Just leave her alone."

"That's not how the game works unfortunately. Now are you ready for me to call Sydney or not?"

There was silence.

"Tony," Lyle nodded at one of the sweepers who in turn landed a heavy punch into Miss Parker's abdomen. It was obviously a well-rehearsed cue and action sequence; that was enough to make Jarod sick.

"Jarod don't," Miss Parker groaned. "Remember what you told me?"

He did remember.

Just then, the door opened and Jarod nearly fell out of his chair with relief. It was Sydney.

"Exactly what's going on here, Lyle?" he said, then rushed to Miss Parker's side. "Parker, are you okay?"

"Peachy," she grumbled.

"Mr Parker would never have authorized such vicious attack against his own daughter. Step down before I turn you in, Lyle." The older man crossed his arms bravely. Jarod prayed silently that his mentor was right, but he had the unfortunate feeling that he was not.

Lyle chuckled, taking long strides until he was standing next to Jarod. With a quick cringe-worthy pat to his shoulders, he said, "Who do you think gave these orders?"

"Impossible," Sydney murmured. Deep down though, well anything was possible.

"No need to worry, Sydney. Jarod's come around and I have the feeling he can't wait to get working on this simulation." Crouching down so that his mouth was a mere inch from Jarod's ear, he added softly. "You know things can get much _much _worse, don't you genius?"

Miss Parker spoke before Jarod could. "Give it a rest. Jarod's never going to work for you again. He is too smar-"

"I'll do it," Jarod announced adamantly over her.

"What? No. Jarod. Come on."

"_Parker_," he looked at her from across the room painfully, letting her know he'd made the only choice he could.

Not even the sweepers protested when she approached him in bold statuesque form. "You told me-"

"Circumstances have changed. I won't risk losing the only thing in the world I've got now."

Lyle was positively beaming while he watched the exchange. Sydney on the other hand appeared very concerned.

"You are being an idiot, Jarod."

He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. Miss Parker snapped it back away from him.

"Stop it," she snarled. "I refuse to be the reason you ruin your own life and throw away everything you've ever stood for."

"Miss Parker," Jarod stood abruptly, sending his chair flying behind him. He grabbed her face and pulled her close for a passionate kiss. Sydney's mouth literally dropped in surprise and Lyle began laughing. Jarod pulled away, but not before whispering something into her ear.

"Enough," said Lyle. "As entertaining as this has been. Miss Parker may now be taken to her cell so that Romeo can get to work. I'd call today a success. Wouldn't you agree, Sydney?"

Sydney grunted ambivalently. Miss Parker left without a struggle, and the sweepers hurried to keep up with her quick pace. Lyle followed with a soft "morons" under his breath.

Jarod reseated himself at the table and Sydney sat across from him cautiously. When Jarod finally looked up and made eye contact with the psychiatrist, he smiled a little crookedly.

"I guess we forgot to tell you."

Sydney smiled back slightly, "You and Miss Parker aren't altogether shocking, but that you'd choose now to act on your repressed feelings is interesting. You have to know the consequences you'll pay."

"I know what's coming, Sydney."

"I hope so," Sydney opened the folder lying on the table. "This may just be one of those consequences."

"At least my own life won't be ruined in the process. She's the only thing that means anything now."

Sydney listened to his protégée in shock, cocking his head slightly when he noticed the glint of typically-Jarod cleverness in his eyes. By now, he should know better than to take Jarod for surface level only.

"Alright then," Sydney said hesitantly. "Let's.. begin."


	7. Day 7 : Day 34

Author's Note: I had an epiphany and I've decided to take this story somewhere I wasn't originally going. It's pretty much the same for now, but as you'll read in Day 34, we're alluding to something a lot bigger than initially planned. It would be safe to assume this takes place after Pretender 2001, but that IOTH never happened. Certain ideas will be borrowed from that movie, just done in a different way since we all know how that fiasco went. If you're confused, bare with me, all will be explained in time and I promise I won't forget that this started as a story about Jarod and Miss Parker's unique relationship.

* * *

**Day 7**

Jarod had been conscious for at least an hour, aware of the dead feeling in his arm, but completely ecstatic about it. Miss Parker, Miss Parker of all people, had snuggled herself into him so that her nose pressed against his side and the top of her head lay within the crook of his arm. He watched her breathing gently and smiled every time her nose twitched.

The sun was just rising, casting a peaceful glow over the room, when her eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes.

"Morning, Miss Parker."

She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath, mumbling something into his shirt.

"Didn't quite catch that," he said in a raspy morning voice.

"I said," she pulled back. "That this cannot be happening."

"What?"

"This!" Miss Parker sat up, batting his hand away. "Us! Jarod, if any two people in the world should not be waking up like this, it's you and me. This is a disaster in the making."

"You're clearly not a morning person at all," Jarod muttered, raising one eyebrow. Her hair was messed and he liked how natural she appeared in the morning light.

She glared at him and threw back the covers. With determined steps she entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Jarod thought he heard her mumbling something about candle light, but he couldn't be sure.

-----

Miss Parker inhaled and exhaled dramatically. After relieving herself and brushing her teeth, she washed her face in the freezing cold water. She wasn't desperate enough to venture an icy shower yet though. Desperate for any distraction from the man on the other side of the door, she sat on the edge of the tub combing her fingers through her hair in a pathetic sort of attempt at brushing it. She had a brush in the room, but he was in there. He was always there.

Rapid knocks at the door, "I don't know what you're doing in there, but I really have to go if you wouldn't mind hurrying things along please."

God he was infuriating.

-----

When Jarod came out of the bathroom, Miss Parker was sitting on the bed, sucking apple juice from a Juicy Juice box. He grinned and sat down opposite her.

"This is difficult for you to get your mind around," he said plainly.

She nodded, straw between her lips.

"You've tried for so long to consider me your enemy, the one you _cannot trust_."

A more subtle nod. Parker removed the straw, holding the juice box in her lap, and closed her eyes.

Jarod grasped her chin gently, directing her face in his direction. She opened her eyes.

"I understand," he said. This time he was nodding reassuringly.

"I'm not running away," she said. "I just need you to-"

"I'll be patient. Don't worry. I'm not expecting anything. This is uncharted territory for me too you know." Jarod paused. "I'm scared, too."

"I'm not scared," she answered immediately.

Jarod cocked his head and replied calmly, "Okay, well, I am."

He was even confident in his fear. Why couldn't he just- but she didn't know what she wanted him to do. He had all the right answers to make her feel better, but here she was doing nothing for him as usual.

"I'm just confused. I don't know how to act." Have to throw the dog a bone every now and then.

Jarod's eyes lit up at the confession, "Neither do I! I-" he laughed a little. "I don't know why I'm so excited about our mutual confusion."

Parker also laughed, falling backward onto the bed with a flop. Jarod stopped to devote his attention to her actions, so far from her normal character.

"Stop staring at me before I give you a black eye."

But not too uncharacteristic.

-----

They both wore all the clothes they had brought with them and had blankets wrapped tightly around their shoulders. The room was getting unbearably cold and their only real relief was the strength of the sun's beams shining through the window. Jarod said that that meant the snow would melt and loosen, hopefully enough so that someone could fix the power and ultimately, the roads.

Miss Parker and Jarod lay side by side on the bed, talking. Hours passed and they hardly noticed. There was nothing else to do, with the possible exception of reading the Bible which lay in the nightstand in its obligatory way, and as Miss Parker had pointed out, their lives needed a lot more help than some religious pep talks could give them.

"You are blushing!" Parker nearly giggled, but being who she was, restrained of course.

Jarod shook his head, "No. I am not. My face it just gets redder sometimes."

"Like when you're embarrassed."

"Or.. hot.."

"Seriously? We're stuck in a blizzard and the best argument you've got is that you're hot?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Well why does it matter how many women I've been with?"

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It's almost as if you're ashamed."

"I'm not ashamed," Jarod said immediately with a huff. "I think it's intriguing that you want to know."

"Way to turn the tables, Jarod," Parker pointed a finger at him. "But I won't fall for your tricks like everybody else."

He grinned, "Okay. Well what qualifies?"

"Sex."

Jarod's eyes widened. "Isn't that personal?"

"Jarod. Come. On. This isn't junior high. Just spill it," Seeing his further reluctance she went on. "I thought we were being honest with each other here."

"Three."

"Three," she repeated. "Now was that so difficult?"

He shook his head, focusing his attention on the foot of the bed, "What about you?"

"What _about_me?"

"How many?"

Parker stared at him with one of those open-mouthed smiles that precedes hysterics, "Funny."

-----

Darkness was approaching. Neither of them were looking forward to it, knowing what it would mean for the temperature. They'd fallen into a comfortable silence. Miss Parker's tongue was dry. She probably hadn't talked to someone this long since Tommy. Before that, well.

Jarod watched while she got up for some water. He'd missed her. The real her. He should probably tell her that, but things were going so well. She brought him some water, too. He hadn't asked. She brought it anyway.

"Thank you," he said.

"It's already getting colder," she said, ignoring his words and taking a sip herself. "Jarod, do you think my mother really wanted me to leave the Centre?"

Jarod looked at her in surprise, "Of course she did."

"See," Miss Parker scoot herself up to sit on her knees. "I think that could be the easy answer. Maybe she would have wanted me to stay and figure out how to end it once and for all. And well if she knew I was hunting you.."

There was an uncomfortable silence then as they made eye contact.

She went on, "I think she'd want me to keep doing that. Don't look at me like that. If I wasn't the one leading the pursuit then you know someone despicable and merciless like Lyle would be."

Jarod cleared his throat and averted his eyes, "To be honest with you, Miss Parker, I wish that anyone were chasing me besides you."

"Hey remember all those times I said 'Jarod, I'll shoot,' well anyone else would have." She crossed her arms.

He smiled, "Yeah I know. But don't you see? Putting you on my case was the smartest move the Centre ever made. I had two reasons to keep contact with the Centre, Sydney and you. If it were anybody else, I could have vanished, regardless of the consequences."

"Consequences?" she asked off-handedly, rubbing her temples.

"You know, for my hunters' shortcomings," Jarod said.

"No, you had to stay connected to the Centre to find out about your family. You knew that was the only way-"

"The few times I've made contact with my family, have been from my own research. They've never had anything to do with you or Sydney."

"But," Parker pursed her lips in frustration. "So basically what you're saying is that you only hung around so that Sydney and I wouldn't roast in the Centre fire?"

"I mean not at first. And then when I met Broots," Jarod raised his hands in defeat. "What's so bad about that?"

She sighed, "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

"Clearly it does."

"It doesn't, Jarod. Jesus Christ, you never give up do you?"

"I was just," he protested defensively. "Making an observation."

"Keep it mental next time, kay?" Miss Parker snipped.

Jarod sighed exasperatedly. It didn't take much for her to throw those walls back up again. The process had become natural to her, more natural than being herself. She was still massaging the sides of her forehead.

"Let me," he whispered, taking her hands in his and putting them in her lap. "Why do you always get these migraines right at this time of day?"

"I don't," she answered abruptly, then groaned. "Although Broots said the same thing."

Jarod grinned, "Maybe there's an ounce of truth to it, Miss Parker."

He lifted his arms and placed his thumbs at the top of her ears and the rest of his fingers at the top of her head, pressing slightly.

"Uh, Jarod," she gave him an uncertain glance.

"Shh, close your eyes."

So she did. Unexplainably really. Jarod was clearly using some witchcraft technique he'd learned in Tijuana, but if he could Houdini the earthquake between her ears away then she was willing to let him.

He moved his thumbs to the back of her neck, right under the base of her skull. She could already feel the tension being ameliorated.

"You learn this from some wandering Mexican gypsy?" she muttered groggily.

Jarod answered matter-of-factly, "No actually I was working in an Asian spa and the women there taught me Japanese acupuncture, called Shiatsu."

"Of course they did," she said with a slight smile.

"I thought I told you to be quiet," he said in a low tone.

"Sorry."

But the smile didn't vanish as he moved his fingers to her forehead, delicately moving between her eyes to the edges of her eyebrows. Parker sighed almost sweetly as he continued kneading. His eyes were focused on her lips though, and he found himself subconsciously leaning in, wanting desperately to be closer to them. But he stopped himself and released his hold on her face. Her eyes opened slowly. Jarod glanced at her and reached for her foot. She looked at him inquisitively.

"Trust me, it'll help."

So she did. It was easy to trust a man who could work such wonders with his bare hands. Her mind wandered to other types of wonders those hands could ignite, but she quickly halted that train of thought before it could bother leaving the station.

Jarod peeled away her two pairs of socks and took her left foot into his hands, carefully massaging it in the appropriate areas. He switched feet. After a moment, she commented that she felt warmer somehow.

"Not really surprising. I'm increasing your circulation."

Parker nodded. There were perks to rooming with the genius.

He stopped and moved closer to her, tucking away the strands of hair that he'd disheveled. His hands stayed along the sides of her head. "Better?"

She looked at him, cocking her head and gazing at him with her taunting blue eyes, "Yeah."

Jarod swallowed. Oh it was time to be brave, but the thought was terrifying. He could feel it though. He knew. And he knew that she knew. He leaned in and kissed her, just as she'd kissed him yesterday, only different. God only knew how long it really lasted, but Jarod could certainly assess that it was much longer than yesterday's, and much more intimate.

She'd seemed to regret their actions this morning. What the hell was going on with her? Was he playing on the weak migraine victim? No, Miss Parker was never weak. Those two words should never be in a sentence together. Why couldn't he stop thinking? She was most certainly not wrestling all of these thoughts in her head right now.

But Miss Parker was tossing even more ideas around in her previously throbbing head. The most prevalent one though, revolved around one word: Jarod. This is Jarod. This is not some guy I met in a bar, not Thomas, not anyone she could pretend never happened. There was one person in her life who she would never be able to escape and here she was kissing him, ardently.

He felt her hands on his shoulders, but it didn't register that she was pushing him down until Jarod was on his back. She was shivering and he shifted their bodies around until he could pull the covers up and over them both, heads too. Lying on her side, Parker placed sweet kisses along his jaw line, his chin, his cheek. The cheap cotton sheets were rough and grainy on the little skin that was exposed. They probably looked ridiculous in their many layers of clothes underneath the blankets.

"Still cold?" Jarod whispered into her ear.

"I'm always cold."

His hand snaked around her waist and pulled her tight into his chest like a teddy bear. Parker wound her free arm around until her hand was on his shoulder blade. She took a deep breath and smiled into his sweater, where he couldn't see.

* * *

**Day 34**

Sydney and Broots walked together down the hallway with the quick, determined pace of purpose.

"You should have about twelve minutes technically, but, you know," Broots gesticulated dramatically. "Someone might catch on before that so uh obviously you should try and get out as soon as you can. Listen, Syd. You're uh taking a really big risk here. I wouldn't-"

"I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about Jarod and Miss Parker right now." Sydney's gaze was in the distance as it always was, and Broots sighed, knowing he was incapable of changing the old man's mind.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry. Thank you, Broots," Sydney responded, entering the elevator.

Broots nodded as the doors closed and Sydney headed off for the lion pit.

-----

10:15, shift change. Sydney peered around a corner watching as one sweeper headed toward the end of the hall as he saw the next one approaching. The two stopped to confer reports, small talk if sweepers could even manage small talk, and that's when Sydney could make his move.

With surprising stealth, he slipped into the small alcove in front of the cell's room. He keyed in the four digit code, glancing back at the sweepers only once to see that he was still undetected. A small light blinked green and Sydney quickly slid inside.

The prisoner inside lay on the drab cot.

"Miss Parker, are you awake?"

She looked up in surprise. "Sydney. Shouldn't you be running sims with Jarod?"

Sydney ignored her mocking tone. "Not currently, no."

"Hmph," she answered contemptuously.

"Miss Par-"

She sat upright with pristine posture. "How could you even play that game with him anymore, huh? How? You're supposed to have something you might remember called _ethics_."

"I am just doing my job. We have been over this many times before," Sydney sat down beside her.

"Yeah back when you were basically holding up signposts rallying for Jarod's freedom. Nobody wanted him out in the world picking daisies and helping the blind cross streets more than you did. Yet here you are with your actions so very, very far from your words."

Sydney stared at the wall in front of them, but still he could feel her eyes burning into him with their laser precision.

"I know that the two of you are planning something, that there's something _important_that you're not telling me. Broots has the camera frozen for at least ten minutes. Your security is a lot more lax than Jarod's so-"

"Is it now?" she perked up. "That's interesting."

Sydney faltered slightly, "What I mean to say is that now is the perfect opportunity for you to tell me whatever it is so that I can help you both."

Miss Parker laughed slightly, giving her gray concrete surroundings a quick once over, "There's no way I could possibly crack that nutshell in ten minutes."

Sighing, Sydney went on. "You two have been through a lot recently, haven't you?"

"You could say that. Recently, not so recently, since the dawn of humanity. It's all the same."

The lines around his face tightened, "What will you do if you two escape?"

"_When_we escape," Miss Parker corrected. "My father told me the new Parker legacy begins with me. I finally understand why, and why so many other things have turned out the way they have."

Sydney was in full psychiatric mode now. "What things?"

"My mother for one. She understood better than anyone, the consequences of everything the Centre has been building toward. The simulations, the science projects, all the freaks they've swept out of the gutters, everything. Always striving for the next best thing. Human perfection is difficult to come by."

"Yes," Sydney said slowly, unsure how to react. "I suppose a pretender's pretty close though. That's why they can't let Jarod go."

"It's so much bigger than that," she whispered hauntedly. "Alex figured it out. He knew there was a reason the Centre wanted Jarod and not him."

"Why?"

Parker smiled, "That is the million dollar question isn't it?"

"And you know the answer," he coaxed.

"There's no simple answer for anything, but if you help us out of here, we'll tell you everything."

Sydney assessed her expression and decided she was telling the truth. He stood up, but he had so many other questions he wanted to ask her.

"Miss Parker, how do you know all of these things?"

She clasped her hands and stretched her arms until they were hanging between her knees, "We did what the Centre tried so desperately to prevent- We found Jarod's mother." Her voice dipped lower, more foreboding. "We read the scrolls."


	8. Day 8 : Day 35

_AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone. You know I adore them. _**  
**

**Day 8**

At some point in the early morning hours, Bill the meteorologist reentered Jarod and Miss Parker's hotel room. Both of them were startled awake by the sudden voice and the glaring light emitted from the television. Jarod's arm reached across Miss Parker to the nightstand where the remote lay and he turned it off.

Miss Parker groaned, "So it's back to reality with us?"

He shook his head and pulled the bed covers closer to them both and returned his head to the pillow, "Not yet it isn't."

-----

They had bid goodbye to Harry and packed the few things they had brought with them before the sun had even been up for an hour.

Miss Parker was currently on the phone with the closest car rental agency and it was a battle. "Aren't you people supposed to be professionals? I would think that if you base your entire career around driving you could possibly do that when a customer asks you to."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jarod smiled as she made eye contact with him. She raised her hand in an is-this-guy-really-serious? way, to which he shrugged.

"If you're not offering your pick-up service then why the hell are you even open?" she continued. There was another pause as she listened to the poor man's reply.

Jarod lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had almost forgotten what they were supposed to be doing. As wonderful as life had been these past couple of days, the plan was never supposed to include freezing in a hotel with Miss Parker. In hindsight though, the whole ordeal could have turned out a lot worse.

"So you're saying you don't have one driver who would be willing to come to this hotel for a hundred dollar tip?"

They could have walked on and on in the snow without stumbling upon this place with a less accomodating owner who wouldn't share his peanut butter and jelly and potato chips, Jarod mused. Miss Parker could have been, well, Miss Parker-like. That didn't mean she'd been a complete ray of sunshine the entire time of course.

"Oh I'm sure that does change things a bit," Miss Parker rolled her eyes. "Right. Mhm."

But they had a mission to complete. The immediate goal was to reach Sydney and hope he would be of some use in figuring out what Catherine Parker had left for them. They would have to make it in and out of Blue Cove undetected. Mr Parker was probably wondering just where his daughter was by now.

"Thank you _so much_," Miss Parker said, her voice sopping in sarcasm. "We'll be waiting."

With that she hung up the phone.

"I hope you have a hundred dollars on you."

Jarod pulled his body to a halfway sitting up position, "Um no actually I don't."

"Oh," she said, completely unphased. "That's fine."

"Won't the driver be expecting that money?" Jarod pressed.

"Yeah probably, but not until the end of the ride, at which point we'll already be there so it doesn't really matter either way." Miss Parker sat down in the chair across from the bed and crossed her legs regally.

Sitting straight up now, Jarod smiled a little hesitantly, "Miss Parker, that's horrible."

"Mmm yeah," she said, looking out the window to the snow-covered world. "So you think we'll make it to Blue Cove by nightfall?"

"Um yes, I believe so. So long as you don't get us arrested along the way."

"Please, you act like I'm so bad. You're the one impersonating doctors and astrophysicists every other week. This is totally harmless."

She was a difficult person to argue with, regardless of who was right or wrong. So that ended that. Miss Parker continued staring out the window and Jarod gave up on his morality lesson.

She was tired of searching for answers. It seemed like all her life she was constantly seeking something missing. There was a world of knowledge out there that her mother had kept from her, to protect her. Sometimes Miss Parker couldn't help but wish that her pathetic version of innocence had been fully taken from her early on, so that she wouldn't have to spend the rest of her adult life trying so desperately to discover everything on her own. Well, not exactly on her own.

"Jarod, what are we going to do if Sydney turns out to be completely useless, which has been known to happen in 95 of most cases?"

Jarod didn't want to think about that yet, "Let's not worry about that until we know it's true."

"Right. Good plan, genius."

She tapped her fingernails along the windowsill. A few moments passed in silence. Which was okay.

"I just have this feeling that our answers aren't in Blue Cove," she said.

Jarod spoke softly, "Then where?"

"I don't know," Miss Parker said before turning icy. "Damn it, obviously I wish I did."

"Yeah. I know."

A horn honked outside, and Miss Parker glanced out the window, "He's here."

"You certainly motivated him," Jarod checked his watch. "It's barely been fifteen minutes."

"They were really _not_that far. I don't know what the big deal was," Miss Parker grabbed her bag and opened the door. "Alright let's roll, wonderboy."

"Parker, wait."

Her hair flipped when she turned around. "What?"

Jarod took a step forward and locked her face between his palms and kissed her before she could even take a breath. It was passionate and desperate and a little bit like choking, yet somehow good. As soon as it came it was gone though, and he stepped back.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I just don't want to lose you," he gestured to the open door. "Out there."

Parker tilted her head to one side. It was almost touching. "Don't worry. After all these years you've never lost me before."

Jarod's face twisted skeptically, an expression which didn't escape her.

"Oh good God, can we just go?"

He nodded and walked out the door.

"You need to shave by the way. Scratchy. On my face." She gestured toward her chin with her hand.

Jarod turned around and looked at her with that glint of amusement in his eyes. She was closing the door. When she noticed his staring, he commenced toward the waiting vehicle, grinning.

-----

"So how did you weasel us out of that one?" Jarod said from the passenger seat of their latest rental car.

Miss Parker shrugged and steered them out of the parking lot, "I just let good buddy Joe have his way with me for five minutes in the coat closet."

Jarod glared at her, "You did not. That's not funny, Miss Parker."

"You believed it for half a second. You're supposed to be smart you know."

"But really."

"I can be very charming and persuasive when I want something."

"Charming," Jarod scoffed, "Sorry I missed that one."

"Well next time you should use the restroom before we leave, like a good boy," she responded in a motherly voice.

He ignored her and turned the radio on and flipped around until he found an oldies station.

Miss Parker arched her eyebrows, "No."

"Yup."

"I can't stand oldies. They're all songs I've heard a hundred times over about how thrilled the hippies are that the sky is blue and birds are still singing."

Jarod laughed, "I haven't heard them before, so you'll have to deal with it. That is, unless you're willing to be _charming and persuasive_."

"I am not pulling this car over to do whatever kind of persuading you have in mind, Jarod."

"That- That is not what I meant," he paused awkwardly. "At all."

"Right. When you get down to it, men are all the same," Miss Parker added stoically.

"Are they though?"

She glanced at him and returned her gaze to the road. They drove on in silence then, save for the sounds of happy hippies and rebellious rockers on the radio.

-----

"Well here we are," Miss Parker said, shifting the vehicle into park. "Home au Freud."

She got out of the car and began walking up the sidewalk to the front porch.

"Wait," Jarod whispered. "I know a better way."

-----

Sydney calmly stirred a spoonful of milk into his tea and placed the spoon in the sink. Setting the cup on top of its saucer, he walked into the dimly lit living room carrying it in one hand and his latest novel in the other. This was his favorite time of night, when the only interruption he would ever receive might be the occasional phonecall from Jarod, and that was an interruption he always welcomed.

"Hey there, Syd."

He nearly dropped the tea he was so startled. There was Miss Parker sitting on his sofa with her legs crossed like she owned the place.

"Miss Parker," he began, setting his things on the coffee table between them. "I wasn't expecting you to return so soon from your hiatus."

"Trust me I'm not here for good, but I do come bearing gifts, well one."

Sydney heard the sound of the chain to his lamp being pulled and there was Jarod, comfotable in Sydney's oversized chair. He must have truly been shocked since he hadn't noticed him there before. He looked between the two of them, trying to put the pieces together.

"Jarod, you're not turning yourself in are you?"

Jarod laughed, "Please, Sydney. Don't you know me at all?"

Sydney stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Well I thought I knew the two of you, but right now I'm not so sure."

"It's not what you think," Jarod stood up. "We're helping each other to find the answers we've always needed. We came here because we figured we could trust you."

"Of course you can trust me," Sydney said, still a little off balance. "But what can I do? I'm afraid I don't know anything the two of you don't."

"Sit down, Syd," Miss Parker said. Sydney took his seat in the chair and Jarod sat down beside Miss Parker. "We think there's a very important memory in Jarod's head and we need you to drill it out in that special way of yours."

"What is the memory?"

Miss Parker sighed in exhasperation, "If we knew that, we wouldn't need your help would we?"

"Parker," Jarod reached for her hand, which she automatically snapped away to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He glanced at her, realization in his eyes, but said what he was going to regardless. "We do know a little, Sydney. There were simulations completed by me for Catherine Parker, helping her plan her escape. I obviously have no recollection of this, but we figured she must have used the same technique she did before when she took me out of the Centre and that maybe you could help me find this memory, too."

Sydney took a deep breath and leaned back against his chair, "When did these simulations take place?"

"About a month before," Jarod drifted off. "It was in March, supposedly in the sim lab just like any other simulation."

The psychiatrist nodded.

"Why?" Miss Parker inquired suspiciously.

"It just isn't surprising that she got away with doing that. Catherine would often arrange with me and some of her friends in the tech room to stop the camera monitoring for a certain amount of time. It was easy enough. Everyone who worked there would have done anything for her."

"Why would she do that?" Jarod asked.

"Usually because you," Sydney turned to Miss Parker. "Asked her to."

She shook her head, "I don't remember ever doing that."

"Oh well of course you didn't _ask _in so many words. You just wanted to see Jarod. So I'd reserve the sim lab and leave Jarod there and that's when your mother would let you in. Your father never approved of your interaction, but she and I always thought it was good for both of you. We could tell you were fond of each other."

Miss Parker shifted in her seat uncomfortably, "So you probably assumed this was going on while my mother worked with Jarod."

"I suppose so."

"Can we try and see then?" she said impatiently.

Sydney looked at Jarod, who nodded in return.

-----

Sydney, perched close on the coffee table, went through the steps with Jarod, relaxing him until he was in a trance-like state. Eventually, he snapped his fingers and Jarod's chin dropped, nearly to his chest. Miss Parker watched them silently, praying that this would work.

"Jarod, you're in a very safe place right now. Can you hear me? This is Sydney."

"Sydney," Jarod mumbled.

"Very good, Jarod. Miss Parker is with us as well and everything is fine."

"Parker," he breathed the word slowly.

"I'm here," she answered softly, not knowing what else to do. Sydney nodded reassuringly.

"We're going to go back now, Jarod, to a place deep in your mind, to before we lost Catherine Parker," Sydney continued, his voice steady and soothing. "Do you remember that day by the elevator?"

"Yes."

"Good, Jarod. Are you there?"

"Miss Parker, she's crying. She needs our help, Sydney!"

Miss Parker put a finger to her lips, reliving the memory with him.

"We're going to try and help. Now think back to the last time you saw Miss Parker's mother. The sim lab. Are you there, Jarod?"

Jarod was silent for an agonizing moment.

"Jarod, please," Miss Parker coaxed gently.

Sydney reitirated, "Are you in the lab, Jarod?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about it."

Jarod's closed eyelids twitched a little and Miss Parker briefly thought of Angelo, who often made similar facial expressions to the one Jarod wore now.

"Miss Parker's mother is here and she wants me to do something for her. It's a secret though. I'm not supposed to tell."

He said it with childish conviction. It was eerie to Miss Parker, who remembered the tone so well.

"You can tell us. You can trust us. We just want to help."

Jarod remained silent.

Miss Parker touched Jarod's arm briefly, "She's my mother, Jarod. I need to know."

"Has to do what's best for her daughter. Needs to escape."

"Does Catherine want you to help her escape the Centre?"

"No not her, someone else. This is for someone else like her."

Miss Parker looked surprised, but Sydney shook his head, indicating that this was probably not true. She reconsidered and it did make sense that she would tell Jarod that this was a plan for somebody else. Her mother was always trying to protect.

Sydney said, "And you told her that she should fake her death?"

"No. Not yet. She has to complete her plan first."

"Plan. What plan, Jarod?" Miss Parker perked up at the words, knowing this is what her mother had wanted her to do.

"She doesn't say," Jarod murmured to which Miss Parker's shoulders slumped. "But she has to go, go meet someone."

"Who?" Sydney asked.

"Won't say, but one day she says I'll meet her too," Jarod answered slowly. "She's waiting in Maryland. One day I'll go there too."

"Why would she say that?" Miss Parker muttered under her breath, leaning back against the sofa.

Sydney shook his head, "Jarod, come back to us. We're at my house and you're going to return when I snap my fingers and you will remember everything we just talked about. 3... 2..."

He snapped his fingers and Jarod's eyes shot open. He took a deep breath and looked from Sydney to Miss Parker, who looked upset, disappointed, frustrated, and so many other things.

"Sorry," Jarod whispered.

She shook her head. "Maryland, what the hell good is that going to do us?"

"I don't know," Jarod responded, unable to look away from the sadness on her face.

Her eyes widened, "Maryland."

"Yeah, that's all she-"

"No, no. There was a place, oh God. I knew she went there sometimes. I just don't know where in Maryland it was," Miss Parker groaned loudly. "If we could just go to my house."

Sydney interjected, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm certain your father is having your house monitored until you return."

"I can get us in," Jarod said. Miss Parker looked at him uncertainly. "Really. I've been in and out while it's been under surveillance many times."

"When else has my house even been under surveillance?"

"Uh," Jarod shrugged. "Just a few other times."

"And was I in the house during these _break-ins_?" she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows accusingly.

Jarod smiled, "I think you know the answer to that question."

"You sicken me," she looked to Sydney and stood up, pulling Jarod with her insistently. "Well we thank you kindly, but it's time to go break into my own home now. And not for the first time either."

"Well, first time for you," Jarod added.

Sydney too stood, "Good luck. If you need anything, I'm here."

"We know," Jarod smiled slightly.

Miss Parker looked at Sydney and grinned, "And you tried to act like you hadn't been helping him all this time. The real truth finally comes out."

"I could say the same for you," Sydney nodded toward her with a smug expression on his face.

She directed her comment to Jarod, "You really are one manipulative son of a bitch."

Jarod acted like he was confused by that. "We're leaving now. Thank you, Sydney."

As they left, Sydney couldn't help but smile. He had incredible faith in the two of them working together toward a common goal for once in their lives. It had been a very long time coming, but he had always known it was indeed coming.

* * *

**Day 35**

The light in Mr Parker's office was ironically bright and cheery, as was status quo. How could the man and his surroundings possibly radiate anything but?

His son was in complete shock though. Instead of being praised for his strategic manipulation, Lyle was being chastized by his own father. That was also status quo; he never received the praise or respect he deserved.

"You are not supposed to be using your sister as incentive for Jarod to do his work. How dare you disrespect your family like that?" Mr Parker roared like the crazy patriachal ruler he was.

"Coming from the man who has his daughter locked away twenty levels below ground, that's quite the loaded accusation."

Lyle was sitting on the sofa, inspecting his fingernails nonchalantly while his father paced the floor in front of his desk.

"I can't trust her anymore. That's all it comes down to. I have _reasons_for the things I do, Lyle. You should know this by now."

"I have reasons too, and clearly they're good ones. My plan worked. Jarod is with Sydney simming and being a good little labrat as we speak. What more could you want?"

"The two of them, they-- you allowed them to be in the same room and, well you saw what happened."

Lyle sighed and attempted to rationalize for his father, "Yes clearly Jarod has the hots for my sister. Weird, yes. Amusing, no doubt. But problematic? Not at all. We can use this to our advantage."

Mr Parker slammed his hand down on his desk, causing an echo to reverberate through the room. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Lyle. There is a reason we've been trying to seperate them since they were children."

"And that reason would be?" said Lyle, bored by his father's dramatics.

"Never mind. It's need to know."

Lyle stood, "Of course it is, and of course I don't."

"Not now, Lyle," Mr Parker growled.

"I'm sick of doing all the real work in this place and not getting anything in return. I got your monkey dancing just like I said I would. What the hell else matters?"

Mr Parker sat down at his desk and slid his hands over the wood surface. He looked up at Lyle with a knowing, yet don't-push-it look.

Throwing his hands up in defeat, Lyle stepped backward toward the door. "Fine. Keep your secrets. I'm only your son."

With that, he disappeared before Mr Parker could answer him. Instead he mumbled under his breath, "_son_" as he shifted some papers around his desk.

-----

How could Jarod have done this all his life? Miss Parker was pacing her tiny room restlessly. She hated being kept in the dark and right now she felt like a million things were happening that she wasn't aware of. Jarod was simming. Sydney was letting him. Everyone else in this hell hole, well only God knew what they were up to.

She walked up to the camera in the corner and tapped on the lens.

"Bring me my father," she said slowly, enunciating every syllable perfectly. "You hear me? Bring him."

Twenty minutes went by.

An hour.

Three.

Miss Parker jumped from the bed she had retired to and yelled into the camera, "Bring him to me now! I need to see my father. Bring him damn it!"

But nothing happened.

-----

Sydney couldn't believe how easily he and Jarod had slipped right back into pretending mode. Jarod gave him answers and Sydney prodded for the whys and hows until there was nothing more to be said. He often stopped the sim to ask Jarod if he was sure he wanted to be doing this and the reply was always the same- "I know what I'm doing, Sydney." And presumably he did. Sydney though, wasn't quite so sure.

"And you're sure that the senator's car could arrive at the predetermined location on time still?"

Jarod closed the folder with all the data and research, and looked up at Sydney with a tiny grin, "Absolutely."

It was eerie. Sydney felt like he was talking with a ghost of Jarod. The real Jarod he knew would never do this so amiabley.

"Well I think that's enough for today. Is there anything _you_would like to talk about, Jarod?"

The pretender smiled briefly, "What's to say?"

"A lot, I think. That really depends on you."

"In that case there's nothing to say," Jarod responded. "Except that I _do_trust you, Sydney."

This obviously loaded statement was even more disturbing for the psychiatrist. There was clearly something he was supposed to understand, something he was supposed to do and he had no idea what Jarod meant.

Sydney whispered pleadingly, "I don't know what you need, Jarod."

The door to the sim lab slammed against the wall as it was whipped open.

"You'll figure it out," Jarod nodded, and for once Sydney could see his Jarod. Confident and strong.

It was Mr Raines who decided to interrupt their conversation with his squeaking heap of metal and decrepit self. Jarod slumped down in his seat, while Sydney rose from his.

"What is your business down here, Raines?"

"Jarod is my business," wheezed the old man.

Jarod's eyes darkened, but he remained silent, glancing instead at Sydney to defend him.

"You must be confused because Jarod is under my supervision, not yours."

Raines stared at Jarod while he spoke. It took everything the pretender had not to cringe, speak, or worse, attack. "I believe you're the one confused... if you think that one simulation a day is enough... for our most gifted pretender... you're wasting our time."

"I am supposed to also be monitoring Jarod's psychological status as well. Exercising his talents so soon could be detrimental to the projects," Sydney crossed his arms resolutely. "I'm sure the tower wouldn't want that."

Jarod clenched his jaw. He hated when people talked about him like he wasn't sitting right there listening, but he couldn't cause any more trouble, not when he knew who would be paying the price.

"I said gifts, Sydney, not talents," Raines took a deep breath. "There's a difference."

"Now's not the time or place for this."

Raines ignored Sydney and stepped so close to Jarod that the pretender had to crane his neck back to look up at the emphezema-ridden man.

"Get away from him, Raines."

"What did you and Miss Parker find?" he hissed.

Jarod's eyes widened in surprise. Raines couldn't know. No, it was impossible.

Jarod answered in a low tone that Sydney could barely hear, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"_Yes_you do," Raines continued. "I know you went to... Armenia."

All the blood in Jarod's veins stopped pumping, at least that's what it felt like. Aside from himself, only two more people knew about that and he knew Miss Parker wouldn't tell without extreme persuasion, which he doubted anyone was truly capable of. That must mean...

"I said leave him alone," Sydney protested, attempting to seperate the two.

"You just think about... how I might have known that," Raines said, taking a step back at Sydney's insistence. "And then you decide if you want... to tell me what you found... or not... the choice is yours."

Jarod's face contorted slightly and Sydney could see his eyes watering, but still he said nothing and looked away stubbornly.

Raines took a deep breath and plodded out of the lab, lugging his oxygen tank behind him.

"What the hell was that all about?" Sydney said, sitting down in front of Jarod, who looked as though he'd just gotten word from the devil himself.

His voice cracked at first when he spoke, "Can we just-- Can we just call it a day? Please, Sydney."

"_Talk_to me, Jarod. I'm begging you," he changed his voice to a barely-there whisper. "You can't do this alone."

Jarod frowned and shook his head, "I _wish _I were doing this alone."


	9. Day 9 : Day 36

**Day 9**

It was early, or late depending on how you wanted to look at it. Either way, Jarod and Miss Parker were sitting in the immobile vehicle, not far from her house but far enough. Dawn wouldn't be approaching for another couple of hours.

Miss Parker loaded her weapon with a few clicks and snaps, the sounds viciously harsh in the cool night.

"We won't be needing that," Jarod said distractedly, his gaze off in the distance.

"Jarod, in all my years, any regrets I've had concerning this gun have been that I didn't have it when I needed it."

"You're not coming," he stated flatly.

Miss Parker glared at him in shock, "Like hell I'm not. It's my damn house. You don't even know what to look for."

"So tell me what to look for. If it's a trap, I don't want you to be the one who pays the price. I promised you I'd help you out of this mess and I'm not going to toss you back in now."

Jarod spoke with such determination and confidence that for a second, she almost fell into it.

"Jarod, shut up. If you're so set on one of us going alone it _will_ be me. If it's being guarded, who cares? It's my house. I don't think it's that unusual for me to show up. You on the other hand—"

"Parker, you left and they may not know exactly why, but I'm sure they know it's not for whatever excuse you gave them. The Centre doesn't cope well with manipulation."

Miss Parker crossed her arms decidedly. "If you plan on going, I'm coming with you. Stop wasting our time."

Jarod sighed.

-----

Breaking into her own home wasn't high on Miss Parker's list of fun things to do at four in the morning. Few things were. Too many times during their trek through the woods, Jarod had placed an arm in front of her to halt her movement. They would stop and waste another thirty seconds while Jarod listened to the wind and not much else. Then they'd commence on. When at last they reached her house, Jarod had led her to the crawl space in the side of her home. She'd looked doubtful, but he urged her inside.

Paying homage to the motto, always be prepared, Jarod pulled out a flashlight and navigated them through the dirt, dust, and pipes. Miss Parker couldn't even decipher what region of her home they were crawling under, but Jarod moved confidently. Finally, he reached above his head and removed three wooden slats. She noticed that these wooden pieces were too new to have come with the house.

Jarod then removed a thick wooden square, which the slats had presumably been holding in place. He reached up and pushed. Whatever he was pushing peeled away easily. Using a conveniently located wooden beam under the house as leverage, he jumped up and with a grunt and he was gone.

Miss Parker shook her head in disbelief.

"Are you coming or not, Miss Parker?" Jarod's face appeared in the opening with a sly grin.

She looked up at him and Jarod noticed how in the darkness, her bright blue eyes seemed electric.

"You disgust me, you know that?" she said quite seriously, reaching up for the hand Jarod had extended toward her.

Pulling her up in one swift motion, Jarod let her stand and shrugged his shoulders. Parked scoffed at her surroundings, "So why the laundry room, Jarod?"

"One, you rarely do laundry yourself so you being in here is infrequent. Two, the floor is vinyl so I was able to cut around the edges and unglue it, roll it back and forth, without you ever noticing."

"And that is how you have been breaking into my home these past five years," she said.

"Well, when I didn't use the back door anyway," Jarod nodded. "This was more of a backup system."

Miss Parker shook her head disapprovingly and stalked out of the room. "Come on."

-----

After sweeping the room for any monitoring devices, Jarod knelt beside her and shined the flashlight onto her hands as Miss Parker rummaged through her mother's desk drawers. The art studio was eerie at night, and more so since Jarod had actually never been in this room before. This was Catherine and Miss Parker's special place and he had never felt that he had any right to intrude on it before, though the rest of her house was certainly game.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Jarod asked softly after she had searched for a few moments.

Miss Parker sighed, "My mother had an address book. She used to give it to me to send thank you cards to people when they sent me Christmas or birthday gifts or whatever."

"I think you're a few thank you cards behind on me, Miss Parker. I've been sending you unreciprocated gifts for years."

Jarod couldn't see her, but somehow he knew she was rolling her eyes even in the darkness. They remained silent while Miss Parker browsed the contents of the desk.

"Finally," she said, pulling out a thick book with a violet cover, about the size of one hand. Jarod watched her flip open the cover and begin scanning addresses.

"Are you looking for something specific?"

"Just any Maryland address I can find," she replied, turning a page.

Jarod nodded, "Yes that's definitely something I'm incapable of helping you with."

Miss Parker crossed her legs Indian style on the floor and continued her search as if he'd never spoken, occasionally turning the page or running a hand through her hair. Jarod watched her patiently, contemplating briefly if he should browse through the other papers and objects Miss Parker had pulled out or if he should be respectful and leave them be.

Noticing a document that peeked out of a manila folder on the floor, Jarod oh so subtlely spun it toward him so that he could see it. It was a medical record and he was looking into the smiling face of a young Miss Parker. Curiosity got the better of him and he pulled the whole folder closer to him and opened it.

Miss Parker looked up from the book then. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just looking," he replied casually.

"As if you haven't already perused every scrap of information in my house before, Jarod," she snapped bitterly.

"Actually, this is the first time I've been in this room. I would never come in here without you."

Jarod's chocolatey soft eyes were undeniable in the moonlight and Miss Parker hated how quickly her anger melted away.

"Sorry, this room," she mumbled the words together. "It just makes me..."

Parker waved a hand as if she could bat away the emotions implied in that sentence.

"It's okay," Jarod whispered, a little shocked that she had apologized at all.

She took a deep breath, "You know I've never been in this room alone since she died. I tried so many times, but I could never do it without someone."

Jarod was silent for a moment, incorrectly assuming she would elaborate on her own. "Who?"

"Thomas," she said softly, avoiding Jarod's intense gaze. "Only once though. We just sat on that sofa for hours. I couldn't move. I could sense her presence everywhere I looked, so I just stayed there completely frozen. We hardly spoke, but somehow he understood. He just held me while I cried." Parker wiped a tear from her face and laughed painfully. "Probably scared the hell out of him."

"No. I'm sure he was glad to see there was a real person underneath that cold facade of yours. Thomas stuck around for a reason, and probably not because of your sharp shooting or your leather ensembles. Well," Jarod pretended to concentrate hard, "the leather _may_have helped."

Parker shook her head and bit back any traces of a smile, "He stuck around for as long as the Centre let him, just like she did."

"It was never your fault," Jarod said definitively, knowing all too certainly what the implications to her sentence were.

She cocked her head slightly and gave him a knowing look, "I'm sure we both wish that were true, Jarod."

He was shaking his head before she even finished her sentence. "Thomas decided to meet you because of all the things I told him about you. If any fault is yours, it began with me."

"Yeah, because everything is a result of you, isn't it Jarod?"

He saw that her eyes were stony again. That brief flash of emotion had disappeared and Miss Parker had a special way of making anyone who saw it feel like an idiot for believing it was ever there to begin with. Jarod knew better.

He sighed, "We shouldn't be fighting over this. We both know the Centre's at fault."

"Conversation's closed, labrat."

Miss Parker redirected her attention to the address book and Jarod to the medical file. Her history was typical, routine childhood check-ups, tonsillitis, chicken pocks, all except for a blood test, the results of which were conveniently absent. Copy of her birth certificate.

"Hmph," Jarod mumbled.

"What?"

"Your birth certificate. There's no name for your father."

"And this surprises you why?" she replied dryly.

He shrugged. "It doesn't I guess. I just don't know how we didn't see it before."

"Raines is not my father."

"You act like Mr Parker is such a better alternative," Jarod countered.

She glared at him, "There's no way in hell, Jarod."

"Biologically—-"

"Here it is!" Parker said abruptly. "I knew it would be here, but it's on its own piece of paper, not in the book. She was hiding it in the back cover."

Jarod scoot himself closer and looked over her shoulder, "1813 Ginger Place. That's awful vague isn't it?"

"What more do you want, a map from the sidewalk to the door?" she quipped.

Jarod arched an eyebrow. "I'd settle for a city or a state for that matter."

"This is it. I can feel it. Look it up."

"Laptop's in the car."

Miss Parker stood, "Then let's go."

"Miss Parker, it's been an awful long time since we've slept," Jarod said from the floor.

He nearly cringed at the are-you-serious? expression on her face.

"Don't wuss out on me now, wonder boy."

"It's a matter of self-preservation. We don't know what we'll find there. We should be well rested."

Jarod had his point as he always did, but she didn't falter in her response, "Well we can't stay here. It's unsafe."

"This room's fine. I already checked it. It's getting in and out of the house that we really need to worry about."

Miss Parker contemplated the idea momentarily and then with a sigh claimed the sofa without a word. Jarod took his cue and lay back on the carpet. A moment later, he was surprised by the sudden smack of a pillow to his face.

"Why thank you," he said with a quick look at Miss Parker, who said nothing and curled herself into the sofa.

It was small, designed for decoration and not comfort, but Jarod took it gratefully and stared at the ceiling for a while before he closed his eyes. Just as he was entering the twilight of sleep, Jarod heard a soft double intake of breath from Miss Parker and he instantly realized she was doing her best to suppress the sounds of her weeping. He sat up and stretched his arm out to grab her hand, gently pulling her to the floor with him. Jarod molded his body around hers and Parker let his hand wrap across her waist while her back shuddered against his chest in silent sobs.

He would never know if she cried for the precious memory she had shared with Thomas on that same sofa she was then lying on, or if it was the sheer emotional ties of her mother's room that had broken her down that night. That his presence could have anything to do with it never even crossed his mind as he held her tightly to him in the darkness. Just as the sun was beginning to rise, her breaths began to steady and finally, Jarod allowed himself to sleep too.

Jarod would remember it as a night where he gave her unspoken comfort as she grieved for her losses. But Parker would always remember it as the first time she fully connected the lifes and deaths of the two people who had truly cared about her to the one person who always had.

Hours later, they left that room. Parker lingered for a moment before hesitantly stepping out of it and closing the door gently behind her.

-----

Parker had been right about the address. The combustible pair had been driving for hours when they pulled up the long drive to a quaint old farm house. The sun had just set and a few lights were on inside the home. Drawing the same conclusions, Jarod and Parker glanced at each other warily as she turned the car off.

"Here goes nothing," Parker said, opening her door.

Jarod followed her as they walked along what posed as a sidewalk, but seemed more like a few strategically placed flat stones, up the stairs to the front porch. The sound of a woman's laughter would rarely be a sign for worry, but for them it signified a potential dead end.

Parker shrugged her shoulders and placed one finger on the glowing button by the doorframe before slowly pushing it. Jarod raised one brow and focused on the sounds of crickets surrounding them.

After a very insecure moment, they heard footsteps and the clicks of unlocking as a woman, probably in her mid sixties, opened the door. Her attention went first to Jarod, who greeted her uncertainly.

"Hi, my name is Jarod and I know this might sound crazy, but we were wondering if we could talk to—"

"My God, you look just like her," the woman intervened upon seeing Miss Parker.

Parker looked from the woman to Jarod and back to her again with doe-like eyes before speaking softly, "Please tell me how you knew my mother."

"And you say your name is Jarod," she said returning her attention to him with an open-mouthed smile. "Please come in."

Jarod and Miss Parker, a bit dazed, allowed themselves to be ushered into the home, through a hallway, and into a cozy living room where a fire calmly flickered. A man with white hair and thick glasses was sitting on a couch watching a news report very intently.

"Rick, turn that thing off. We have guests," said the woman.

"I'm sorry," Miss Parker said, shaking her head and placing a hand on the woman's elbow. "But who are you?"

She responded by placing her other hand over Miss Parker's, "My dear, my name is Tina and this is my husband, Rick."

"My mother," Miss Parker began.

"Seemed like a wonderful lady," Tina finished. She then took Jarod's hands in her own. "But it's your mother that I hold so dearly to my heart."

Jarod's eyes widened and he swallowed nervously while she continued, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I've always prayed that I would get the chance to meet you one day, Jarod. May I assume that you being here means you've found your mother?"

"No," Jarod sputtered out. "I've been trying for years, but I never have. How, who—"

"Let's sit down," said Tina. "It's obvious we have a lot to talk about. Rick, would you put on a pot of tea?"

"Sure, but by the looks of it these guys are going to want something a lot stronger than that," her husband answered, rising from the sofa.

Tina smiled at him and gestured for Jarod and Miss Parker to sit down. They sat on the loveseat against the wall while Tina took her husband's seat on the sofa catty corner to it. Jarod thought he could discern a slight disappointment in Miss Parker's demeanor and he slid a hand over hers reassuringly.

"Your mother and I have been close friends since we were children, Jarod. I shared many invisible cups of tea with Margaret and our baby dolls when we were growing up in Virginia," Tina recalled fondly. "I was even privileged enough to be the godmother of her first child many years later."

Jarod cocked his head slightly, "Godmother."

"Yes, indeed. I promised your parents I would do whatever I could to help them raise and take care of you," Tina laughed. "Little did I know what that job would entail."

Jarod smiled sympathetically, "You helped her try to find me."

"To a degree, yes. I certainly wasn't that qualified. The Centre soon realized that your parents were figuring out who had kidnapped their sons because by then, Kyle had also been taken. One day, they attempted to capture them both and in all the chaos, your parents were separated. Margaret didn't know what else to do, so that's when she came to me with baby Emily. She said she couldn't bare the thought of the Centre taking her as well and that she needed me to protect her while she figured things out."

Jarod and Miss Parker were listening, completely entranced by Tina's words. Rick came in with a tea tray and placed a cup in front of each person before sitting next to his wife quietly while she continued speaking.

"So of course I did, but your mother was so afraid that someone would find out about our friendship that we decided I should move here and change my last name. She felt terribly guilty for leaving Emily with me, but I convinced her that she was doing the right thing. I didn't see her again for months after she left, but when she did return, she brought someone with her whom she thought could help."

"My mother," Parker exhaled as the connection was finally made.

Tina nodded, "Exactly. I don't know how they found each other, but it was a good thing they did. Catherine was so sweet, and she was constantly trying to comfort Margaret who was clearly obsessed with finding her boys. But she's a strong woman and was intent on putting her family back together without focusing on her pain. The two of them talked constantly for about three days, devising a plan they said. I mostly stayed out of their way and cared for Emily, when Margaret didn't insist on holding her anyway."

"So you never heard what this plan was?" Jarod asked.

"I believe they thought it safer for me to not know the details," Tina replied sadly. "All I knew was that they were trying to rescue you and some other children, including you, Miss Parker, and that then they were traveling out of the country immediately afterward."

Jarod nodded, "To Europe."

"Armenia, to be exact," Tina replied, to which Jarod raised his eyebrows slightly, pondering this new bit of information.

"It was spring of 1970," Miss Parker said detachedly.

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"That was when my mother died," she said with a sigh. "Or at least that's what we thought at the time."

Tina looked confused, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know anything had happened to her. After those few days here, they left and I never saw Catherine again. Margaret returned and told me that things hadn't gone as planned and that she couldn't sacrifice time with the one child she had left any longer. She said she'd continue her search, but she didn't want me to have to be involved anymore. She took Emily and left, intent on finding the rest of her family."

Miss Parker sipped at her tea while Jarod spoke, "And you never saw her again did you?"

"On the contrary, about once a year or so, she would come back and stay for a few days. She even came to our wedding," she said, placing a hand on her husband's knee. "I just placed an ad in the newspaper with some key words we had agreed upon when she left."

Jarod's eyes sparkled, "So you know how to get in contact with her?'"

Nodding, Tina said, "I think I'll have to have a chat with the Baltimore Sun right away so that someone can properly meet his mother."

Even Miss Parker smiled when Jarod beamed back in response, "I'd appreciate that so much."

Tina laughed, "Don't go thanking me yet. Sometimes it takes a while for her to catch it. Patience is the key."

Jarod nodded eagerly.

"Now if you'd forgive us old people, but we're up far past our bedtime," Tina said.

Rick stood up with a yawn, "You bet. Now we've got a guest bedroom all set up already and this sofa here pulls out, so you two feel free to honker down wherever you please."

Tina went about collecting the dishes onto the tray and brought them into the kitchen. Miss Parker followed her in, standing silently while Tina washed each cup by hand.

The older woman smiled warmly, "I know it's a lot to take in, but I do hope you can get some sleep, Miss Parker."

"I just want you to know how much we appreciate this. I'm afraid Jarod might burst into song at any moment."

"I'm glad you two found us," Tina said, turning the water off. "And I hope Margaret does, too."

* * *

**Day 36**

Sydney was browsing through the many different folders that had been left in his office for him to review. All of them contained simulations the tower was requesting from Jarod. It was driving Sydney half mad that he couldn't figure out whatever it was Jarod was trying to tell him, so instead he was being especially particular with the simulations he chose for his pupil. He had dismissed many which had obvious potential to be twisted disastrously, but he knew he couldn't catch them all. Sydney was just a scientist after all.

"Sydney!" Clad in an orange Hawaiian shirt that Miss Parker would surely have ripped to pieces if she were there, one of Sydney's most trusted colleagues scrambled into the office, closing the door behind him frantically. "I accidentally caught a peek at one of the security cameras when I was visiting my friend Wesley, you know the guy with six fingers who types faster than everyone because well he has six fingers and you'd think he'd work in another department where that kind of thing comes in more handy but—"

"Broots, focus," Sydney said calmly.

His colleague took a deep breath, "Right. It's Jarod. They were beating the hell out of him, Syd."

Sydney's face hardened. "Who?"

Broots shook his head, "I don't know. I came straight here when I saw it."

"Thank you, Broots."

Just as Sydney was disappearing out the door, Broots called out, "What are you going to do?"

"Something," was the vague reply. The psychiatrist hurried to the elevator, muttering to himself. "For once."

-----

Jarod had tried valiantly to fight back at first, but was considerably outnumbered by the six sweepers surrounding him in his little room. They subdued him viciously with their mechanical punches and kicks, some of them even laughing as Jarod uttered the only word he could think of, "why?"

Finally the battery ended and Jarod wiped fresh blood from his lips with one trembling hand. One of the sweepers pulled him up roughly by his Centre-issued tunic and shoved him aggressively against the wall.

"You're to consider this a final warning," the man growled into Jarod's ear.

Jarod strained his voice, "From who? For what?"

The sweeper let him go and Jarod slumped to the ground in a heap, watching helplessly as the sweepers disappeared just as quickly as they came. He took a few ragged breaths and began the mental process of assessing his injuries, knowing they would cost him later.

After testing some body parts and running his hands over them gently, Jarod came to the conclusion that he had a couple cracked ribs, three broken fingers, a dislocated knee, and too many cuts and bruises to count. The injury to his knee was the most irritating at the moment.

Just as Jarod was straightening his leg into place with a loud groan bordering on a scream, his door opened and Jarod refused to even look to see who had arrived.

"Get the hell away from me," he said.

"My God, Jarod," Sydney immediately knelt down beside him. "I'm so sorry. I came as soon as I heard."

Jarod replied flatly, "You're a little late."

"I'm aware of that, thank you. How bad is it?" he asked.

"I'll be fine."

"I'm serious. You obviously need medical care."

Jarod scoffed, "I'll just pretend I'm a doctor and prescribe myself out of here. Then maybe I'll be okay."

"I thought you trusted me, Jarod."

The beaten pretender finally made eye contact with the only man who had bothered to care for him at all in the last thirty odd years. Sydney's insides shivered under the haunted look from Jarod's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sydney," he said in a low, raspy voice. "It's just hard. Being in here. Not knowing what's happening."

Sydney hesitated before adding, "To Miss Parker?"

Jarod shrugged with the one shoulder that didn't ache, "A bit, but Miss Parker can take care of herself for the most part. It's others I'm worried about."

"What others?"

The younger man was silent, his face etched with incredible torment as only a soul like Jarod's could be. In that moment, a light bulb went off in Sydney's head and he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it earlier.

"Jarod, did you find your family?"

Jarod put a hand to his forehead, frowning when he felt the wetness of his own blood. The look he gave Sydney said enough though.

Sydney was barely saying the words at a whisper now, aware that their time was short and ears were always listening, "Were they captured, too?"

"I don't know," he answered sadly. "I've never had to worry about anyone but myself, Sydney."

"I understand. The pressure must be overwhelming. Right now though, I'm sure that your family, Miss Parker, whoever, would all want you to be worrying about yourself right now instead of them. I know that's how I feel. You need to watch out for yourself."

"Yeah, that's real easy to do when six giants burst into my prison cell and attack me like hungry dogs," Jarod said bitterly.

Sydney overlooked the attitude, having dealt with the queen of sarcastic retorts all her life. "Do you know why?"

Shaking his head, Jarod replied, "Just said this was my final warning."

With a deep breath, Sydney said, "Listen. I know that there is a lot more to this story that you can't tell me, but please, don't push your luck with them. I thought you'd be safe if you cooperated with the simulations, but clearly that's not enough."

"It'll never be enough, Sydney," Jarod sighed longingly. "But if your only concern is for my safety, then you shouldn't worry. They'll never kill me."

"I do worry though. If your work becomes irrelevant, then I don't see why," Sydney's voice drifted. "I don't know why they would—"

"Bother keeping me alive?" Jarod filled in the blank plainly. "They will. I'm not worried about that. The simulations never mattered, Sydney. Not really."

Sydney stared at Jarod, desperate to read his brilliant mind, to pull him out from within these cold walls, to _do _something. Anything.

They sat together on the hard floor, a million memories and unspoken conversations burning between them, until Sydney was escorted out of the room.

-----

Mr Parker looked up from some papers on his desk as Sydney entered his office brusquely.

"Ah, Sydney. Did we have a meeting?"

Sydney folded his arms over his chest defensively, "We do now. Raines has taken to harassing Jarod again and he is completely unauthorized to even be near him. Now I'm greatly concerned for Jarod's safety. I hardly feel like I can leave him alone without coming back to find another broken bone or black eye."

"Actually," Mr Parker stood and placed his hands on his desk authoritatively, "I've given Mr Raines equal clearance to the pretender project as you have."

Sydney's eyes blazed, "What? Why? Raines is completely unpredictable. He can't be allowed near Jarod. His psyche is fragile enough right now!"

"You can count your blessings that you're allowed on the project at all, Sydney," the chairman growled predatorily.

Sydney shook his head in disappointment, "What about Miss Parker?"

"I told you she's vacationing in Eur—"

"I was in the sim lab when you used her to bait Jarod!" he tilted his head incriminatingly. "Tell me what could possibly be so important that it constitutes imprisoning and abusing your only daughter?"

Mr Parker pondered the situation before speaking very slowly. "I'll pretend you didn't say that, Sydney, if you leave this office right now and get back to doing your job. I don't think I need to warn you of the consequences to your disobedience."

Remembering his previous words to Jarod about pushing luck, Sydney took a step back before he finally broke the intense eye lock he had with Mr Parker.

Sydney felt swamped with fractions of bitter knowledge he wasn't sure he wanted to fully understand. He wanted to help, but he had no idea where to start. His heart ached for the woman locked up and tortured both physically and emotionally by her own father, and for the man who felt that burden in his own painfully familiar prison. As always, Sydney's invisible shackles prevented him from taking true action. One day he would. Surely that day would come soon.


	10. Day 10 : Day 37

AN: Please forgive me for the obscene wait. This semester has turned out to be more busy than anticipated. Chapters will most likely be slow for a while until work or school finish. Either or would be nice! Thanks for all your lovely reviews and enjoy!

**Day 10**

Parker had taken the guest room that night, but had found sleeping difficult. There were too many thoughts and unanswered questions for her mind to allow her rest. It was also the first night in many that she felt separated from Jarod, and while that shouldn't have bothered her, deep down she knew it did. It wasn't that she missed him. Dreams were just easier to face with someone who understood.

When she went downstairs, the sky outside was still dark and indicative of night time. She wasn't surprised to see that Jarod was awake as well. He either hadn't bothered unfolding the couch to make a bed or he had long ago given up on the idea and refolded it. His laptop lay in his lap and he was reading intently by its soft glow, occasionally pressing a button on the keyboard. When he noticed her standing there ready for the day in jeans and an emerald green sweater, he laughed. She just shrugged and sat next to him on the sofa, pulling her knees to her chest with a deep breath.

"Dreams?" she asked.

Jarod nodded sympathetically, "You?"

"Yeah, and not of the dancing sugarplum sort either."

The pretender cocked an eyebrow and she just shook her head, unwilling to elaborate.

Parker gestured to the laptop, "What are you doing?"

"Researching." Jarod turned the laptop so that she could see it and she leaned in closer for a better look. "I was trying to figure out what the Centre's connection to Armenia was, but I can't find anything. It seems too specific to be random though, so it has to be important."

"When your mother comes, she should know right?"

"Yeah, I just," he stammered slightly. "It's best not to count on things like that."

Silence.

"Jarod, you let me think that way. I'm far better at it. You," Parker paused and then spoke compassionately. "Your unrelenting faith in others has always distinguished you from everyone I've ever met. Hell, after all those years of questioning your little charity cases and pals, not one of them even hinted at giving you away."

"I never gave them the information to do so. Besides, this is different. I've never properly met my mother and there have been so many close calls. I just don't want to get my hopes up this time. I'm tired of being let down."

Jarod looked at her with insecure, childish eyes. She grasped his hand.

"I have a good feeling about this."

She looked at him authoritatively and then tilted her head with a playful glint in her eyes. Jarod smiled and only then realized she was holding his hand.

"Would you walk with me, Parker?"

The playfulness disappeared. "Come again?"

——-

There hadn't been much of a choice in the matter, at least that's how she thought of it as she stepped through the snow by Jarod's side. It wasn't as cold here as it had been in Maine, but it was cold enough and a thin layer of snow still covered the ground.

They were walking closer together than they normally did, an observation internally noted by both. Occasionally, their arms would grace each other's and they would temporarily separate a bit further until they were once again drawn close enough to repeat the sequence.

The air had that cleansed smell that snowfalls always bring along with a faint whiff of pine. The sun was beginning to appear in the distance with a soft pink glow. They walked toward it through the field behind Tina and Rick's home. After they crossed the wide expanse, they trudged up an increasingly steep hill. At one point, Jarod slipped and Parker reached for him automatically, mocking him only through facial expression.

"Wow," she said, once they reached the top of the hill. "It's beautiful."

It was. The glow of the sun contrasted with the snow like ripe grapefruit against milk. The snow amplified the growing light so that the whole world seemed to sparkle from the horizon to the snow-coated tree branches surrounding them.

"How did you know this was here?" Parker said, so quietly it could pass for a whisper. Out in the frosted morning, it was as if voices had to be soft to keep from disturbing the empty white.

Jarod shook his head, gazing around him. "I didn't. I just love sunrises. They're hopeful and they make me feel that way, too."

"We have a lot to hope for," she agreed, completely focused on the rising sun.

"Yes, _we_do."

Jarod took his coat off then and laid it out flat on the ground, leather side down. He sat down and then looked up at Parker expectantly. She rolled her eyes and begrudgingly joined him.

"You're going to ruin that jacket," she said off-handedly.

Jarod shrugged and slipped an arm around Parker's shoulders, "That's okay."

Against her own mental protests, she leaned into his embrace.

The sun was radiant and gorgeous. They were alone. There were very few moments in their lives together that they could truly say they spent alone. Nobody watching, nobody listening, nobody running.

"What do we do now?" Parker asked.

The pretender took a deep breath, releasing the air in a visible puff, "We wait."

Jarod, always the lion tamer, very delicately turned her chin to face him and even more cautiously pressed his lips to hers. Parker hesitated at first, but she couldn't deny the sparks that seemed to literally ignite every time he touched her. She cupped her palms around his rough, whiskered face and kissed him back.

Waiting.

——-

"Tell me more about my mother," Jarod said as Tina piled another scoop of steamed broccoli onto his plate.

She smiled fondly and replaced the pan to the top of the stove and joined Jarod, Miss Parker, and Rick at the kitchen table, "Well let me think. Your mother." A twinkle entered her eyes, "Your mother makes the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had."

Jarod beamed, "Really?"

"I'll second that," Rick said between bites of fried chicken leg.

"And she's extraordinarily clever," Tina continued. "I suppose that's how she's been able to go on all these years. She's just always had this air of calm, knowingness about her; it's the same feeling I get from you."

Jarod smiled faintly and glanced at Parker, who was carefully selecting a piece of broccoli from her plate. She had been quiet all day while Jarod rattled off questions to Tina and Rick, some of which they could answer and others of course they could not. She'd even left at one point to shop for some of the things they'd left behind or forgotten on this merry little adventure they'd set themselves on. Jarod had worried that maybe Parker found everything with Tina and Rick to be a distraction from their original goal, but in pulling her aside, found that to be the furthest thing from the truth. She didn't want to detract from his joy. For now, he had to learn everything he could about his own family, a need nobody understood as well as she could.

"I can't wait to really meet her," Jarod said.

Tina shook her head sympathetically, "I hope you're not disappointed if it takes some time."

"I've waited a lifetime to meet my mother. A little longer won't hurt."

Parker cleared her throat and took her dish to the sink, "I just hope you don't run these poor people out of house and home before that happens."

"Nonsense. A good man clears his plate," Rick nodded at Jarod's empty plate.

"It was very good."

Tina stood up to help Parker with the dishes.

"No no, please sit. You've done enough for us," Parker insisted. "Jarod will help me."

"Agreed," Jarod said, collecting some dishes and bringing them from the table to the sink.

Tina smiled, "In that case, I think I'll go take a long bubble bath. It sounds like just the ticket right now."

At that moment the phone rang with an old-fashioned bell-like quality. Tina answered on the second ring, and her eyes immediately went to Jarod as she listened to the caller speak.

"Yes, you do want to hurry. Hold on, I know someone who can explain better than I can," Tina held her palm over the receiver. "Jarod, it's for you."

Jarod's brow crinkled, "You don't mean—"

She placed the phone in his hand and he held it to his ear saying hesitantly, "This is Jarod."

"Jarod," a woman breathed on the other end of the phone. "My God. Sweetheart, I can't believe it's really you."

Tina beamed as she watched the mental connections click together in Jarod's eyes.

"Mom," he whispered back, entirely awestruck. Parker stopped the running water and watched him fascinated while he muttered a few yeah's, no's, and okay's. And then, he said goodbye and hung up.

"That was it?" Parker raised one eyebrow curiously.

Jarod gazed up at her looking completely baffled, "I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say. I don't think she did either. She's coming though, as fast as she can. I can't believe after decades of waiting and thinking I couldn't think of one thing to say to my own mother."

He wrung his hands together and stared at the floor in frustration.

"You were surprised," Tina intervened. "I shouldn't have thrust you on each other like that. I just couldn't let her call and hang up like it was nothing."

Jarod nodded and returned to the sink area, cutting the water on. "Let me help you with these."

Rick bit his lip and pulled his wife out of the kitchen with him. Parker had no idea what to say to Jarod, so she just handed the dishes to him mechanically until they had nothing left to clean.

"When she's here, you won't have to say anything at all. Both of you just being together will be enough whether you know that now or not," Parker said reassuringly, surprising even herself with her inspiring words.

"I know," Jarod remarked detachedly. "You're right of course. We can't expect to instantly connect on the phone."

"Exactly," she agreed, secretly recalling the many intense phone calls she and Jarod had so often shared in a matter of thirty seconds sometimes.

"Hey," Parker threw a crumpled napkin at the side of his face. "It'll be okay."

Jarod smiled slightly and nodded, tossing the napkin into the trash. Parker watched him leave the room, obviously dazed. She couldn't imagine how he was feeling right now, but she hoped it would ameliorate itself when Margaret came— if Margaret came. No, she reminded herself, _when_.

* * *

**Day 37**

Parker was surprised to have any human contact at all. Ever since her freak out for the cameras, the only person she had seen was the woman who slipped in her food every ten hours or so. Even still, she was in and out in a matter of seconds and Parker didn't have the heart to strike up a chat with the woman.

But this morning (or night, who could tell?), she had been pulled from her cot mid-slumber, hooded, and yanked through hallways, corridors and eventually to an elevator. Sweepers attempted to pull her faster, perhaps in the hopes that they might drag her along like some pathetic Raggedy Ann, but she picked up her pace, walking confidently in long strides despite her blindness.

She was pushed suddenly and she heard a metal door slam shut behind her. Parker tugged the black fabric off of her head and looked around. She knew this little room. In fact, she'd spent many hours in this room a few short years ago.

That could only mean one thing and Parker rushed to peer out of the door's small, square window. Her fears were confirmed instantly. T for torture. This was an interrogation. On the short end of the T-shaped table sat Raines and Lyle. On the wrong side of a T-board under the line of fire, sat a man, shoulders slumped, looking restless. He had probably been there for hours. She recognized the back of his head better than anyone, having unfortunately seen it so many times over the years, and she hoped Jarod was surviving his first T-board.

Parker pressed her fingers to the glass subconsciously and felt a burning in her chest. Jarod turned his head suddenly and his eyes went directly to hers. She bit back a frown and looked back at him confidently, trying to share any bit of strength she had. That pretender grinned back at her obnoxiously and the corners of her mouth tripped into a tiny smile. It was enough, and he turned away with restored confidence as Lyle snapped his fingers.

——-

The snap brought Jarod back.

"See something you like?" Lyle asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You bet," he responded casually.

"Have you slept with her?"

The smile on Jarod's face disappeared instantly and once again he was rough, animal-like, and guarded. Jarod was running on his sixth hour in the T-board and had found the process far less intimidating than they had made it out to be, probably because the idea was a mental torture and with the possible exception of Sydney, there was no Centre employee who had the capability of doing that.

Lyle sighed, "A simple yes or no will do, though if you feel the need to elaborate I won't stop you."

There was no indication that Jarod had even heard him.

"Maybe we should ask her," Lyle said to Raines. There was no reply there either and Lyle shrugged. "No need to make this complicated, Jarod."

A boy and a girl, about ten years old, walked by the table, hand in hand. They held Jarod's gaze for a second, but otherwise he ignored their giggling, innocent faces.

Lyle stood up, "Alright fine."

"Why do you even care?" Jarod said abruptly.

"Sorry, but we're on the questioning side of the T and you're on the answering. Perhaps if you answered my question, I'd think about answering yours."

The pretender stared at the edge of the table in front of him, "Go to hell."

"Alrighty, it was your decision." Lyle called out in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Miss Parker."

Jarod swallowed nervously as he heard the door open behind him. There was an obvious strength in having Miss Parker on your side, but the Centre understood now that they could easily break him through her. Somehow they had twisted his strength into his weakness. The Centre had always specialized in twisting.

The sight of her sent a nervous shiver through Jarod. She was unkept and probably hadn't showered in days, yet there was the same roaring glow around her. She was incapable of being anything but dangerously beautiful.

Parker looked at him and raised her eyebrows slightly. He understood immediately and repeated her gesture, "I'm fine."

"Me, too," she said quickly as a sweeper gripped her by the bicep and pulled her toward the table.

"That's real sweet," Lyle mocked. "Get him out of here, boys."

More sweepers descended and forced Jarod out of the chair and into the holding room where Miss Parker had been. She noticed that he had an intense limp to his walk and she struggled to swallow the anger she felt. She moved to the empty seat by sweeper escort and brushed his arm away when he tried to seat her roughly.

"Always in control, right sis?"

"Quit calling me that. I'm having enough trouble keeping my food down lately," she responded. She glanced back at the door behind her and saw Jarod calmly watching the scene through the glass.

"Hey don't complain. I had to hear Jarod talk about sleeping with my sister. Not a pretty picture," he grinned lasciviously. "But still quite the picture none-the-less."

Parker rolled her eyes, "Nice try, Lyle."

"You think he's too honorable, don't you? That your white knight wouldn't share such intimate things. You would be surprised what men under pressure are willing to reveal, especially with the right motivation."

"Yeah okay," Parker plastered on her artificial smile briefly and watched the children playing in the corner.

Raines released a breath of air and finally spoke, "What did you and Jarod find in Armenia?"

"It was awful cold," she teased.

"Answer the question. What did you find?"

Parker shrugged, "The truth."

"_Miss Parker_," Raines wheezed.

"You really wanta know? Okay," she said seductively. "We did find the scrolls. They're real. We know the big secret now and the games are finally over. What we're doing here... is a _waste_of time."

Both Raines and Lyle stared at her intensely, neither knowing how to proceed. But Miss Parker started laughing.

"The funny thing is that Lyle has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about," she composed herself. "Seriously, Lyle. You think you're important around here but you just know what they want you to know. You're just another pawn. The only difference between you and me is that you're too stupid and arrogant to know when they're playing you."

Lyle protested childishly, "You have no idea what I know about—"

"No, Lyle," she said, her voice raised as if to discipline him. "_You_are the one who has no idea. And I can't decide if I should feel sorry for you or not."

The twins exchanged glares, but there was nothing to say to that. Neither of them was going to tell the other what they knew just to prove a point.

Not a word was spoken for about half an hour then. The boy and girl laughed and played with a puzzle obliviously. Occasionally, notes were passed between Raines and Lyle, or via a grey-suited man to someone else. Parker found it ironic that they thought that _not _speaking to her was a form of torture.

After a while Parker spoke softly, "Daddy, how could you let this happen again?"

"Dad's not going to come to your rescue. You've royally screwed yourself this time, sis."

She ignored Lyle. "I know you're listening and I never thought I'd be so disgraced to be your daughter. Then again, that wasn't really true either was it?" Parker's eyes began to mist over and she shook her head briskly as if to clear the emotion away. "All my life, I just wanted you to be proud of me, no matter the sacrifice, no matter who I lost in the process."

Parker glanced back at Jarod, who had no idea what she was saying but nodded reassuringly anyway. He'd been watching diligently the entire time. She knew that without really knowing and it gave her strength. She took a deep breath and spoke definitively, "I hate that I lived so much of my life under your shadow, but it's never going to happen again. _I know what I'm doing now_."

"Take her away," Raines ordered with bulging eyes.

Sweepers seemed to appear from nowhere, emerging from the shadows all around the room. Three escorted her to the holding room, where she gladly threw herself into Jarod's waiting arms. The door clanged shut and they clutched each other desperately for a moment muttering each other's names.

Parker finally pulled back, putting an arm-length between her and his shoulders, looking him up and down, "Jarod, you look awful."

"Why thank you, you're looking quite lovely yourself," he joked.

Parker hated the lopsidedness of his smile, a wicked cut distorting the left side. She grazed a thumb softly over the injury and then his lips. He was trying so hard to hide his inner wounds, but she saw beyond the playfulness that he was hurting inside just like she was.

"They haven't touched me since I saw you last," she said, knowing exactly what he needed to hear.

Jarod nodded and answered breathlessly, "Good, good, good. We'll be out of here soon, you know. Not much longer now."

There were tears building in her eyes and they both pretended not to notice.

"Yeah," she scrunched her face into one of the utmost resolve. "Yeah I know."

"Really. Trust me. It's almost over, Parker."

"I do," she leaned against him and closed her eyes. These words were so important, so rarely applicable in her life. "I trust you."


	11. Day 11 : Day 38

AN: Thank you for being so patient with me! I know this wait was ridiculous and you probably have forgotten everything that's happened before this chaper. So just run on back and refresh your memory real quick and you should be good to go! Hopefully, the next chapter will come to be after a more appropriate, less obscene length of time. Why oh why did I ever think two days to a chapter was a good idea??

**Day 11**

Jarod hadn't slept, but that was hardly anything new. He spent all night replaying the brief phone call he had just shared with his mother, the first time he could remember hearing her voice. The more he thought about it, the more cynical he grew. Maybe the woman on the phone hadn't even been his mother at all, he couldn't see her and he hadn't heard her speak since he was four years old, how would he ever know? Then reason would kick in and remind him that Tina would know and she had confirmed that it was indeed Margaret before he even had the phone.

It was her. And she was coming.

The thought turned his stomach so violently that he could feel it in his veins, the anticipation literally throbbing with his pulse. How does one prepare to meet their mother after forty years apart?

The sun was rising when Miss Parker woke and headed downstairs. Jarod was lying on the sofa wringing his hands together, his gaze fixated on an imaginary spot on the ceiling. She could nearly hear the wheels turning in his head from the staircase.

Repeating the actions from the morning before, she sat down on the edge of the sofa where she could. Jarod made no response to her sitting there at all.

Miss Parker cocked her head curiously, "No good morning? No 'Miss Parker, how are you?' 'Did you sleep well?' 'Let's go walk around in the snow and ruin another leather jacket?' Nothing?"

Jarod broke his stare down with the ceiling and looked at her, "I can't believe I couldn't talk to her."

"Oh for Christ's sake, Jarod, get over yourself and every imperfect thing you've ever done. Your mother's coming and everything is going to be fine because if there is one love in the world that is unconditional, it's a mother's. So quit your moping and be grateful that you finally get to experience how that feels."

"She's not here yet," he said.

"Well excuse me then, I forgot that she probably won't even show. I forgot that your mother might find something better to do than to reunite with her long lost son, or that she might run into a bit of trouble and decide the whole ordeal isn't going to be worth the hassle." Parker paused and took a deep breath, "Do you seriously think there's a damn thing that's going to stop her now that she knows where you are after all these years of searching? Can you think of one good reason for her to not get here as fast as she absolutely can?"

Jarod stared at her and eventually began nodding, "Thank you."

"Okay then," she said, standing up. "How about you go make yourself useful and cook some breakfast for the rest of us who haven't been holed up in an emotional black hole for the past twelve hours."

——-

Breakfast was good. Jarod was a swell chef, something that shouldn't have surprised Miss Parker at all. What she thought should have surprised _someone _was that she actually ate breakfast. Meals had rarely been a priority in her life, especially before 9AM, but she didn't have anything better to do.

She found herself in an awkward position, doing nothing. It was even more stressful than she could have imagined it would be. There was nothing to be done except to wait for Jarod's mother to make her spectacular appearance. Parker could tell that Jarod was feeling equally restless. He would pop some grapes into his mouth out of a bowl Tina had put on the coffee table, mess around on the computer doing God knows what, stare out the window longingly like a grounded teenager on prom night, have some more grapes—- the man was going to OD on grapes, pace around, repeat process, etc etc.

And all the while Parker just watched him. It was strange how much had happened recently and all so quickly. It made the nothingness of these days feel even longer. Lunch passed. Dinner passed. The entire day was just quiet followed by silence followed by quiet. Tina and Rick, who were clearly well accustomed to the 'sit on your couch, read a paper, eat some grapes' lifestyle, seemed to find a great deal of amusement in watching Jarod and Miss Parker twiddle their thumbs and bash their heads against the walls in bored despair all day.

"Play with me," Parker said mundanely, dropping a pack of playing cards on the table in front of Jarod, who was swallowing his eighty sixth grape of the hour.

Jarod grinned and raised one brow in that obscenely genius manner of his, "You know I worked in a casino on more than one occasion right?"

"I was actually more interested in finding out if you were better than Sydney in the Go Fish department," she said, sitting down in the chair across from him.

"_Go _Fish?" he repeated, putting the emphasis on the 'go' instead of the 'fish' because he was Jarod and why wouldn't he?

"Yes, _Go _Fish," she mocked. "It's horribly dull and mindless so I thought it would fit nicely with the theme of the day."

"Mindless, huh? That wouldn't have anything to do with why you chose such a game to play with me, would it?" Jarod responded smugly. "You know some people say I'm quite smart."

Parker tilted her head and stared at him with her wildly blue eyes. "Shall we play a game more up to your intellectual standards then?"

"Poker fan?"

"Oh I crashed a few games in college," she said, shuffling the deck expertly.

Jarod appeared amused, "Okay. Well, we have no chips."

"I've never played for chips."

"Then what did you play for?" Jarod asked like the sweet, naive little pretender he was.

"Usually clothes."

His eyes widened as she snapped the cards through another shuffle. "You mean the ones you were wearing?"

"That's generally how strip poker goes," Parker said

"You're even more terrifying than I thought, Miss Parker."

She laughed, much to Jarod's own delight. He always thought her level of femininity went up dramatically the instant she showed any sign of amusement. Maybe it wasn't femininity, maybe it was humanity, maybe it was emotion.

"Come on," she said, standing abruptly and throwing the cards down. "Prepare to be petrified."

Jarod didn't move, he just stared at her completely confused. She didn't seem to care though and went upstairs as if her meaning had been perfectly clear.

He followed her.

The second he got upstairs, he saw her bedroom door close. Now he was really confused. He knocked softly on the door.

"Uh, Miss Parker? I thought you wanted me to fol—"

The door opened and she pulled him into the room by the neck of his black T-shirt. Jarod heard the door close behind him and felt himself being pressed against it. Suddenly it dawned on him that he had walked into an ambush. Some genius.

Parker began kissing his neck in all the right places that Jarod hadn't realized were the right places until she showed him. She pushed herself against him aggressively and pulled his lips into a passionate kiss. It was absolutely intoxicating and Jarod found his eyes closing as his long-time hunter sent sizzles through all his senses. He hardly even realized that she had pulled his shirt off until she ran her fingernails down his bare chest with feline stealth.

"Parker," he mumbled against her mouth. "What are you doing?"

He cried out in surprise as she bit down on his bottom lip abruptly, and not nicely.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?"

Jarod let her have her way for another blissful thirty seconds before he began rationalizing again. He looked up at the ceiling panting slightly, his mouth free from Parker access.

"I mean why now? What happened?"

"For Christ's sake, Jarod," Parker took a step back and crossed her arms. He could have sworn she would kill him then and there. "I'm _bored_. Do you need a reason for everything?"

"You're bored," he repeated dumbly.

"B-O-R-E-D, bored, yes. The prairie life doesn't particularly suit me, so I thought what better way to kill some time."

Jarod laughed nervously and not because anything was at all funny. "After everything we've been through in our lives, you want to sleep with me, right now, _because you're bored_."

"Well I don't anymore," she snarled, running her fingers through her hair and readjusting her top. "You just blew your chance, wonder boy."

"No I didn't," he grinned. "You still want to. I can see it in your eyes."

Parker cocked her head as she did so often, "Dream on, lab rat."

"Do you think a little name-calling is going to dissuade me?" Jarod shrugged his shoulders, taking a step toward her. She looked intrigued. He liked intriguing her.

"I think I always get what I want," she said slowly, her hands on her hips authoritatively.

He covered her hands with his own, locking her hips into his grasp, "What _do _you want, Miss Parker?"

She wasn't going to say anything. Jarod knew that. He pulled her close and nuzzled his face between her neck and shoulder, gently kissing her soft skin. Her arms relaxed to her side but he wouldn't let go of her wrists. He wrapped his arms around her so that her own arms crisscrossed behind her back.

"Parker, Parker, Parker," he murmured against her neck. "You've been torturing me for decades."

That was true. As for Miss Parker, well she certainly wasn't bored anymore. Jarod was shifting his attention to her lips. They'd never kissed like this and it was surreal. He was pushing her backwards toward the bed. She couldn't believe it, the man was actually taking some initiative. They flopped onto the bed, with a slight squeak of old mattress springs.

Jarod delicately pulled her sweater over her head. Maybe he was just as bored as she was. He ran a hand over her bare stomach and kissed her hard on the mouth. Parker tangled her fingers into his dark hair and held on tight.

She was unzipping his jeans when the door opened.

"Oh my!"

Jarod and Parker ceased their actions and looked behind them, into the face of Jarod's mother.

——-

Five minutes later, fully dressed and through with their stumbling and cursing, Jarod and Miss Parker made their way downstairs. Tina and Margaret were sitting on the sofa with their backs to the staircase. Just the glimpse of his mother's golden red hair made him stop in his steps. Parker pushed him gently from behind and he moved.

The two women stopped chatting as soon as Jarod walked around to the front of the sofa. Margaret smiled up at him with tears in her eyes. Suddenly he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up to him off of the sofa like a rag doll. She managed to slip her arms around his waist and the two clung to each other, tears streaming down both their faces without shame. Even Tina had a lone tear trickling down her face, her hands in a prayer lock against her lips.

Parker stood quietly to the side, hugging her arms against her chest. She watched Jarod stroke his mother's hair soothingly and she sobbing into his chest. A million thoughts raced through Parker's mind all at once. This reunion was what she had prevented for so many years. The utter joy on both their faces was what she had mercilessly denied them both this entire time. Then she thought of her own mother and all the good she had done and how precious every moment with her had meant, and still meant. As a grown woman, she still clung to those memories and Parker knew they had saved her on more than one occasion.

So she cried, softly and discretely, but she cried. Some of her tears were for the regret and some were out of happiness. Jarod finally looked up at her and tried to suppress the extra emotion he felt in seeing her own reaction, but he accidentally let out a small laugh of a sob anyway.

The unspoken reconnection seemed to go on forever. Finally, Margaret pulled back and placed both her hands on either side of his face.

"I can't believe you're real," she said hoarsely.

Jarod shook his head. "I can't believe _you're _real. And I can't believe that the first time my mother met me I was..."

Margaret laughed and attempted to wipe away her tears. "Speaking of which, who is this young lady you're clearly so fond of?"

She turned around for the first time and caught sight of Parker, who was sniffing and wiping her own face. Margaret's laughter ceased and she walked toward Parker slowly, as if she were in a trance. She took her hands into her own and Parker returned her intense stare with her own sadder one.

"My Lord," Margaret uttered. "I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you, Miss Parker."

Parker tilted her head imploringly, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for—"

"Not a word of it," she said sharply. "There will be none of that. Nobody in the world showed me more kindness than your mother did and judging by the effect you clearly have on my son and by the pain I see in your eyes, I know you've inherited that same spirit."

Then Margaret hugged her, as sweetly and tenderly as she had her own child.

* * *

**Day 38**

"Broots, I need your help."

The balding tech groaned and looked up at Sydney timidly, "Can I ask what kind of help?"

"Not here," Sydney shook his head.

"Oh great," Broots' voice went higher and nearly into a whisper. "That's the worst kind of help, Syd. In case you haven't noticed, everyone around here has been really pissed off the last few days."

"It's for Jarod," he met Broots' worried gaze, "and _Miss Parker_."

Sydney almost smiled as Broots' demeanor softened at the mention of Miss Parker. It was obvious he missed her. She probably served as some sort of protection for the poor man who had somehow landed himself in the most terrifying technical job he could have found.

He didn't even wait for Broots to respond, "Meet me in the atrium in an hour."

——-

Jarod lay staring up at the ceiling as he had been for the past few hours. He was disappointed they had taken Miss Parker away, but he hadn't expected the Centre to let them be together for long. In a way though it was almost easier to be apart. He didn't have to look at her bruises or keep himself from talking to her about things that could not be overheard. Then again, he wasn't there to interfere if someone tried to give her more bruises or to tell her things he would love for them to overhear.

He hadn't seen Sydney all day. He was beginning to wonder if even the Centre was going to drop the whole act with the simulations. That would be a difficult one for them to explain. Sydney would be completely baffled. Just like Jarod had been. He closed his eyes, remembering that fateful day. And if ever a day in his life had been, that was most certainly the one. He could just picture Parker's face.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see he was staring into another pair. At first he was just surprised but when the face grinned widely, he realized who it was. Who else would be crawling around in the air vent?

"Shhh," Angelo whispered just loud enough for Jarod to hear.

Jarod gave a barely perceptible nod and watched him out of the corner of his eye. Angelo held up a small, shiny disc—a DSA. He moved it around wildly, letting the light refract all over Jarod's room, and then put the disc down, slipping it into the bottom grate. He gave Jarod another wild grin and then stomped off, his steps echoing through the metal maze.

Jarod wanted to go to the vent immediately and protect the DSA, but he knew it would be more likely found if he did that. He had no better place to hide it and obviously no player to watch it on.

So he closed his eyes and tried to pretend he'd dreamt it all.

Well, maybe not all of it.

——-

Sydney and Broots were walking through the atrium. The birds were chirping and one might almost be convinced that they were in a normal place, a city park perhaps. Then Broots swore he saw a chimpanzee rustling through some branches before disappearing. Sydney didn't deny the possibility.

"What I need you to do is to locate any new subject transfers into the Centre ever since Jarod and Miss Parker were brought in," Sydney said smoothly.

"But Syd, they're bringing people in all the time for this psycho reason or that freaky experiment. You might want to narrow down your spectrum."

"We're looking for anyone dear to Jarod. His family, most likely. I think that's why he's been cooperating and hasn't tried to escape. He thinks someone else was captured when he was."

Broots figured Sydney's request would have something to do with Jarod, but he still wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Anything connected to Jarod was especially dangerous territory in the Centre.

"And if I find anyone?" he asked hesitantly.

"Find out where they are being held and let me know as soon as you can."

Broots sighed, "I'll do my best, Syd."

"You're a good friend," he replied.

A bird squawked loudly and Broots felt himself jump about thirteen feet.

——-

Miss Parker absolutely detested being paraded around the Centre with a hood over her head as if she couldn't tell exactly where she was the instant Lyle's goons pulled it off. This occasion was no different, except that she was completely shocked at where she stood. She was in her father's office. Well, Mr Parker's office.

"Surprised to be here, Angel?" Mr Parker said, rising from his leather office chair.

"What the hell do you want now?"

Mr Parker waved toward the sweepers and shook his head. They stepped back, blocking the doors but no longer grasping Miss Parker's arms.

"Sweetheart, you're the one who wanted to see me."

"Don't call me that," Miss Parker snipped. "You wouldn't bring me here if you didn't want something out of it. Don't pretend you're doing a fatherly favor for me. I wouldn't expect those to start now."

"Now now, don't get all worked up over nothing," Mr Parker said in his especially condescending way.

Miss Parker's eyes widened dramatically. She shouldn't have been surprised anymore by his disgusting insensitivity, but she couldn't help it. Years of habit were difficult to break.

"You just listen now. What I'm about to say is important. It's clear that Jarod's finally warped your mind to his benefit as I always feared he would. For God's sake I warned you about him, Angel!" Mr Parker took a deep breath, his white mustache twitching tensely. "But I don't think you're completely lost. You're a Parker damn it. You're stronger than this."

"You're not even my real fa—"

"I said enough!" his voice boomed fiercely. "This is your _last _chance. Tell me everything that happened in Armenia and we can put this mess behind us."

Miss Parker shook her head hopelessly, sickened that she could have ever fallen for his lies. "You were right to warn me about Jarod. Even you knew that he was the only one who could save me, who would save me. It's just a shame that he's the only one left who even _bothered_."

She could almost see lightning flashing in his cold blue eyes.

"You're making a huge mistake, Angel."

Miss Parker crossed her arms and stared back at Mr Parker fiercely. She spoke slowly and clearly, "I'm just sorry it took me so damn long to see through you and your bullshit."

"In that case," Mr Parker gestured to the guards who approached her dutifully. One of them pulled out a syringe and thrust it into her thigh. She cried out in surprise as he injected her with Centre mystery drug.

It didn't take long for her to begin feeling incredibly woozy. Her vision was blurring and she could faintly feel herself falling to her knees. The last thing she heard were Mr Parker's words, which she would have sworn came from under water.

"It's a shame, Angel. You were such an incredible asset for the company."

Miss Parker fell lifelessly to the cold, tile floor.


End file.
